Howling for fortune
by TTigerz
Summary: An ancient story, written within her blood. The moon as an enemy and a friend. Family suddenly becomes more important and friends a danger. What will she choose? Will her human heart keep her sane, or will her blood be stronger? Broken promises and new discoveries. Attacks and heart broken moments. Will's life will never be the same. Willx?
1. Chapter 1 Bad night for a stroll

**Howling for fortune**

**Chapter 1 Bad night for a stroll**

It had been in her family for centuries. But she'd never known it. It was the real reason why her parents divorced. It was what would happen to her when she was 16 and 7 months old. It happened to her at the end of August. She didn't know what was happening. But it happened.

This story starts in Heatherfield, almost a year after the defeat of Cedric. The girls all managed to pass their school year and were relaxing during their summer vacation. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin. Better known as W.I.T.C.H. had spent their summer with swimming in the sea, slumber parties, barbeques and going to Meridian to spend some time with Elyon. The summer vacation was nearing its end and the last Friday night fell over Heatherfield. Will Vandom went to bed early, being tired after spending a whole day in Meridian, helping farmers. She and the other girls had a bet running with Caleb. If they would work on a farm for a full week and eat Meridian food without complaints he would do their chores (especially Hay Lin's) for a full month. Caleb had thought he would easily win the bet. Unfortunately for him, the girls weren't passing this opportunity and they worked their butts off, resulting in winning the bet. As Will turned around with a smile on her face she fell asleep. If she'd been awake for a bit longer she would have noticed her mother entering.

Susan Vandom walked to her daughter's room. She sighed slightly at the mess that had spread through the room. Her daughter seemed to have a problem with keeping her room clean.

"Will?"

Will didn't react and Susan bit her lip. Should she awaken her daughter? Tonight would be a full moon after all…Her first. She shook her head and decided against it. With some luck her human blood was stronger and nothing would be wrong. She walked to her daughter and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before making a small cross with her finger on it.

"Be save." She said before returning to the living room.

The sky was darkening when Susan went to bed. If she'd been up a little longer she could have seen that her presumption was incorrect. The full moon was slowly coming up. It took a while before its beams shone through Will's window but during this time Will was tossing in her sleep. Dreams of blood, trees and power were running through her mind, making her almost scream. When another nightmare passed, which ended in Irma being ripped to pieces by something, she shot awake. She panted heavily as she hugged herself.

"Everything's cool." She said slowly to herself. "It were just nightmares. Such a thing won't happen."

The Heart was pulsing soothingly next to her on her nightstand but Will resisted the urge to take it. She needed to take control of herself. As she breathed slowly she noticed something strange. According to her clock it was 1:00 A.M. but yet there was enough light for her to see her table and her rather messy bedroom. She searched for the source of the light and discovered it came from her window. A sudden urge swept over her and she slowly got out of bed. She slowly walked to the window and looked out of it. She saw a beautiful full moon, which was beaming its heavenly light on her slightly tanned skin. A sensation came over her and Will closed her eyes as she swooned a bit. She suddenly felt herself becoming very hot. A shiver ran over her spine and she felt a strange tingle all over her skin. She had the urge to scratch but at the same time she felt a pain she couldn't describe. As if something or someone was pulling her limbs and face. Something seemed to grow from her rear as well. She could hear her nightgown rip before slowly everything became blank. And slowly the sensation ceased.

Now standing in Will's room was a wolf like creature with human features, completely covered in red fur with some rips of a nightgown hanging over its shoulders. The eyes of this creature were blue-ish white, almost lightning like with a black wolf pupil in the middle. The claw-like hands were slowly moving and the creature first looked strangely around, as if it couldn't remember what had happened. Then it looked at the window. It saw the bright full moon and a shiver went over its spine. It opened the window and jumped out of it. The high fall the creature made didn't seem to harm it. It landed with a great crash on the ground. It looked again at the moon. It stretched its back and pointed its mouth at the moon. Flickering teeth, the size of pocket knives, shone in the moonlight. A heartbreaking, dangerous and longing howl erupted from the beast's throat. In the distance howls or whimpers of other dogs were heard.

**…**

Matt Olsen shot up from his bed. Earlier he had felt an uneasy feeling but now he shot up when he heard a howl. The howl was obviously inhuman and it made his hair stand straight. He noticed that Huggles too seemed to have noticed the howl. His hair was standing on end and he was hissing like mad. Matt tried to pet him but Huggles kept evading his hand and kept hissing.

"Mr. H. What's your problem?" Matt asked concerned.

Before he could get an answer from his critter (not that it would have said something in human speech) a greenish light appeared. When the light subdued a black cat was sitting on his bed.

"Good you're awake." He said rather agitated and scared. "Cause we're in a pinch. A big one!"

Matt blinked slowly at the small animal. It was rare that the black cat lost its cool.

"Calm down Napoleon." He said, still not completely aware of what was happening.

"This is no time to calm down, Mattie-boy." Napoleon said as he licked his fur in a hasty manner. "Cornelia should be coming in a couple of minutes."

Matt raised his eyebrow. "Cornelia? Why? How?"

Before Napoleon answered a greenish light appeared again. This time it appeared to be Cornelia. Cornelia looked around and then sighed.

"Thank God!" She exclaimed. "This is my third try! I was just in a house with a couple who were…quite occupied."

"No time for complaints, Pinky." Napoleon said serious. "What's the news from the others?"

Cornelia looked at him and Matt noticed that her eyes were a bit bigger in concern.

"All of them heard the howl and all replied…" She started. "All except for Will."

Matt got up and walked to Cornelia. He grabbed her shoulders and started to shake her.

"What's wrong? What's wrong with her?" He asked concerned.

Cornelia looked sadly at him.

"I…I don't know…According to Taranee she never responds at nights…But Taranee can't even read her dreams." She said before releasing herself from Matt's grip. "But don't worry. Knowing Will she's just trying to get some sleep while the Heart makes sure she gets it."

Matt didn't seem convinced but Cornelia ignored it. She turned to Napoleon.

"So…What's wrong? Why did only the six of us and Lilian wake up?" She asked.

"I never thought I would hear it." Napoleon said. "But I've heard of them. You too Pinky. There are stories about these creatures. Creatures that live with a full moon."

"Werewolves?" Cornelia said surprised. "But they are just horror stories. Fantasies."

Matt's look darkened considerably and seemed to speak but Napoleon interrupted him.

"Fairies, magical queens, kingdoms on other planets and evil witches are also just stories and looky here. We know all about those, don't we?"

"But Napoleon, a werewolf? Come on! That's ridiculous." Cornelia said.

"That's what you think. Then so be it." Napoleon said. "Return to home Pinky. Matt, Huggles and I will investigate this. This is, after all, Regent work."

Cornelia frowned a bit at the command but then yawned. She shrugged, she would ask Taranee tomorrow what she thought about it. But before she teletransported a new howl was heard. Again the heartbreaking sound. The windows seemed to tremble at the power of the sound. She turned scared at Matt, Huggles and Napoleon. Matt and Napoleon had a serious face and all three of them transformed.

"Go home Cornelia and watch over Lillian." Matt said. "We handle this."

Cornelia nodded and teletransported away. Matt turned to his two fellow Regents.

"Anyone an idea from where the howl came from?" Matt asked.

Huggles grumbled a bit and opened the window. Napoleon and Matt quickly followed and they ran, or in Matt's case flew, through Heatherfield. Long no word was said until they reached the outskirts of the town. There a battery cage was laying and it was one of the things many inhabitants protested against. He himself and the girls were often participating in the protest events in the hope of setting the chickens that were caged free. A man was sitting in front of it, sobbing loudly. The three Regents quickly detransformed. Huggles and Matt went to the man while Napoleon went for investigation inside the battery cage. When Matt and Huggles arrived they saw trails of blood and something that looked like intestines on the ground near the man. The man was sitting in a puddle of blood and he seemed to hold something. A broken gun lay next to him.

"I swear that I'll find you, you monster, ya know!" The man yelled angrily in the air in a southern accent.

"Sir…Sir, what happened here?" Matt asked cautiously.

The man turned around and saw Matt. He had a feral gaze in his eyes but seemed to relax a bit. Matt noticed that the man's clothes were a bit torn but other than that he seemed fine. He also seemed to be holding a dead chicken

"Boy! Boy please go home!" The man said in a broken voice.

"Why?" Matt asked confused.

"Heatherfield isn't save anymore, ya know." The man said scared. "Something is lurking around. Something big. Monstrous!"

"Sir, calm down." Matt said. "What happened?"

The man calmed his breathing.

"I…I live here nearby, ya know. The owner of the battery cage asked me to keep an eye on it in case some radical demonstrators try to break in and free the chickens, ya know. Tonight, after the moon came up, I heard some noise of breaking glass, ya know. I took ma gun and went outside, looking for what I thought to be humans, ya know. When I arrived here I saw a complete massacre, ya know. Lots of blood and chicken bodies littered over the floor, ya know. Ma stomach turned and I nearly puked when I heard heavy panting, ya know. I slowly turned around and saw something terrifying, ya know." He said.

"What?" Matt asked, feeling that they were near their werewolf.

"It was something that resembled a wolf and a human, ya know." The man explained. "It had blood red hair, was at least your height, had whitish bluish eyes with a black pupil like a wolf, had claws the size of daggers and teeth the size of pocket knives, ya know. It looked at me and gave a terrifying howl, ya know. I could see the blood seep from its' teeth, ya know. I pointed my gun at it but before I could shoot it grabbed it and broke it in two, like a toothpick, ya know! It then started to gurgle, ya know. Something like: "EEEEEEERRRRRR Ma Lair!" ya know? Then it ran away. Just wait. When I find it's lair it'll be dead, ya know!'

He then spit at the floor angrily. Matt had been silent. A red furred werewolf was terrorizing Heatherfield's battery cage…And it said something about its lair. Lair…. Matt's eyes widened in realization. He needed to get Napoleon. A meow was heard and both the man and Matt looked up.

"I'm sorry, must be my cat I've been looking for." Matt apologized.

The man just nodded and went back to his cursing and sobbing. Matt hurried inside and saw Napoleon sitting in front of some lines of blood.

"Look at this, Matty-boy." He said darkly.

Matt's eyes widened. His suspicion was right. On the ground was something written in chicken blood.

'IRMA LAIR'

Matt turned to Napoleon.

"We need to get to Irma, right away!" Matt said.

Napoleon nodded and swept with his tail over the blood, making the letters unreadable. Matt transformed and grabbed Napoleon and Huggles. They flew in high speed at Irma's house, hoping that they weren't too late.

**…**

Irma couldn't sleep. Not after the first howl and certainly not after the second one. The sound of the howl made her shiver to her very core. What could have made such a sound? And why didn't Will react to any of their attempts to contact her? She turned again in her bed. The full moon was shining mysteriously through her window. She closed her eyes and let the moon beams hit her face. During full moon she noticed that her powers over water were a bit stronger than usual. She felt more at peace as well. As she opened her eyes again to look again at the full moon a shriek of pure terror escaped her mouth. In front of her window was a sort of wolf human standing. And it looked hungrily at her. Her parents and Chris stormed her room in at the same moment that the wolf smashed her window. Glass flew everywhere and Irma yelled even more. Her mother joined in and her little brother shrieked in pure terror. Her father pulled his gun from his pocket and pointed it at the wolf.

'Of all times that an enemy of us decides to attack us and it chooses tonight!' Irma screamed in her mind, while still panicking about her parents' lives. 'I seem to have all the luck in the world!'

"EEEEEERRRRRMMMMAAAA LAAAAIIIIRRR." The beast pronounced hoarsely.

Irma temporarily thought that it had a more female sounding voice than she'd first thought. That thought was quickly put aside when the wolf let out an piercing howl, breaking anything made out of glass in her room.

"Stand back!"

Irma looked frightened at her father. What if the beast would attack him? This thought seemed to be quickly realized as the beast started to advance on her father.

"Stay where you are!" Her father demanded, scared as well, but the beast continued with closing the gap between them.

A shot and howl of pain. The beast was clutching its right ear as it let again a howl of pain. Her father had shot it in the ear. Before Irma could breathe out of joy she gasped in terror. The beast had slashed at her father and had ripped his arm open while his gun fell on the ground. It advanced further to her father when it got a pillow against its head.

"Hey ugly!" Irma said. "I thought you wanted me?"

The beast growled at her and bared its teeth. Now that were some frightening teeth! Irma held her hands together.

"Come at me bro!" She said, knowing that there was no other way.

The wolf jumped at her and at that moment Irma shot the most powerful blast she could muster. The wolf got blown back against the wall, soaking, while her family looked terrified at her. She shot an apologetic look at them.

"I'll tell you later." She said.

It seemed that her mother was planning on interrogating her now when the wolf again let a howl loose. Irma rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her ears.

"Yeah yeah! You're a wolf! We get it!" She said.

The wolf glared at her and leaped at her again. She shot another blast of water at it but this time the wolf was prepared. It pointed its claws at it and for a short notice Irma thought she saw some electricity coming from the claws. Whatever the wolf did it worked cause her water disappeared and the wolf landed on Irma.

"Irma!" Her mother and brother yelled.

Her father tried to get up with his injured arm while Irma was looking terrified at the monster on top of her. The wolf was breathing heavily and for a short moment Irma thought she'd recognized something in the eyes of the wolf. A slightest brown. She then felt how the claws were piercing her skin and she yelled out in pain. She felt blood seeping from her shoulders. She saw from the corners of her eyes how her brother jumped at the wolf.

"Leave her alone, you big bad wolf!" He yelled as he started to pound the wolf.

The wolf didn't seem to get harmed by his attacks but it did push him away with one of its rear paws. Chris tumbled back against a wall, out cold. Irma looked scared at the wolf. Who'd ever thought she'd ended up as dog chow? As the teeth gleamed in the moonlight a roar was heard. Irma and the wolf looked away and they saw Matt flying in front of the window while Huggles and Napoleon were standing in her room, fully transformed.

This proved to be too much for her mother as she passed out. The only thought Irma had was that her room was getting too crowded. As Huggles rammed the wolf off of her she slowly got up. Her nightgown was red from her own blood.

"Are you okay, Irma?" Matt asked in his Shagon form.

Irma nodded timidly as she watched how both Huggles and Napoleon were trying to keep the wolf under control.

"What. Is. That?" She asked scared.

Matt couldn't answer because her father pointed his gun at him.

"Irma stay away from it!" He said. "You! Get to the wall! Put your hands in the air!"

Irma went to stand between her father and Matt.

"Dad! Stop! It's Matt!" She said.

"Matt?" Her father asked confused.

All their gazes returned to the wolf when it again released a terrifying howl. A sudden burst of electricity came from it and blasted Napoleon and Huggles against the walls.

"Napoleon! Huggles!" Irma and Matt yelled out concerned.

The wolf got up and Irma and Matt saw the sparks of electricity running through its red hair. It looked confused before it focused its gaze on Irma and Matt. Both noticed that a brownish iris started to appear around the black pupils.

"Ir…ma? Matt…?" It growled confused before it clutched its head and howled again.

Irma and Matt looked confused at each other but their focus returned to the wolf when they heard a dangerous growl. They saw that the eyes returned to their first appearance and the hairs on the wolf's back were standing on end. Huggles jumped at it but the wolf forcefully stopped him and threw him again against the wall. Napoleon then jumped at it and bit it in its neck. The wolf howled as Napoleon forced it back out of the window. Both tumbled out of it. Napoleon had released the wolf and landed lightly on the ground while the wolf crashed to the ground. Matt flew in the air while Irma looked down.

"Is it…dead?" She asked scared.

The wolf got up at that point and shook its head. It growled at Napoleon who hissed back. Huggles jumped out of the window as well and growled also at the wolf. The wolf turned to Irma and Irma looked in the bluish white eyes. Again she thought she saw a shimmer of brown in the eyes. Then it took off without a warning. Napoleon and Huggles immediately went after it but Matt stayed with Irma.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Sure, this is nothing." Irma said, still being shocked from what had happened.

"I should call 911 anyway. Your father is injured as well and your mom is out cold." Matt said.

"Irma…Who is that?"

Both teenagers turned around and saw Irma's father advancing on them.

"Dad….I've been lying to you and mom for some time now." She said softly. "But I want to tell this with the other girls, if you're okay with it? Besides, you need the get treated."

Irma's father raised an eyebrow but nodded when he felt the pain in his arm. He walked to Chris and started to try and wake the boy.

"Matt…What was that thing?" Irma whispered.

"Believe it or not Irma, but Napoleon thinks it's a werewolf." Matt replied terrified.

"Why would it attack me?" Irma asked scared.

"I don't know. I truly don't know." Matt replied.

"Matt, we've lost it."

Matt and Irma turned around and saw Napoleon and Huggles standing outside. Both seemed to be tired and were panting a bit.

"It was too fast for us." Napoleon panted.

Matt nodded when they heard the sirens. He flew a bit up and noticed that the ambulance was coming. He looked at Irma.

"Your help is here. See you tomorrow." He said.

Matt then flew away with Napoleon and Huggles jumping after him. Irma felt her throbbing and bleeding shoulders. A werewolf in Heatherfield. Who'd have thought? She turned to her father who was still looking a bit afraid at her. She smiled weakly at him.

"I'm fine dad." She said. "I swear I'll tell you, mom and Chris everything tomorrow."

Her father just nodded and took Chris' hand and led him to the ambulance helpers. Irma looked outside as she heard more helpers walking the stairs. She wondered how the others were doing and decided to inform them tomorrow.

**…**

A pair of yellow eyes glowed in the alley. A wolfish grin appeared under it, revealing teeth bigger than the red werewolf's.

"That was her first night. She's quite the charmer. And her will is stronger than I thought." He said softly. "Now she'll get the Wolf Bane potion. But after that, she'll be mine. Tala, you will accept your destiny."

A wolfish snigger escaped him before he disappeared in the night.

**_[A/N] Well, that was a rough night. What will happen next? Who was that other werewolf and who is Tala? And how will Irma's parents react to the Guardian life of their daughter? Also, does Susan know more about this?  
Well a lot will be explained in the coming chapter. Also I'm informing you that I'll try to upload one chapter every month on a day with a full moon. That way you have an indication as to when I will upload. And no worries. I'm also busy with "Q is for Quarry REWRITTEN" as we speak.  
PS. I originally intended this to be a Halloween one-shot... But it got out of hand -.-'_**

Extra note. It seems that I've managed to create some misunderstanding. But I will upload 1 chapter a month. Just 1. And that 1 chapter will be uploaded on one of the two/three days of that month with a full moon. Just so you know.


	2. Chapter 2 Explaining to do

**_[A/N] Moon 2 means chapter 2! Only this time it's a bit dull (in my opinion.) But I still hope you will enjoy it and not drop this story. So have fun!_**

Chapter 2 Explaining to do

The next morning Will awoke when the first rays of sunlight touched her face. For some faint reason she felt tired yet completely energized. Another thing that bothered her was the weird dream she'd had. Killing chickens and hurting Irma… She refused to open her eyes and came out of her bed on touch. She noticed that she was naked except for the small bits of cloth that were around her shoulders. Also an indescribable pain came from her right ear. She opened her eyes and searched her room for her mirror. Her eyes widened in shock. Her ear was bleeding, her red hair was smeared with something and she saw drips of blood on her bed and the ground. Her hands still had some blood on them and she yelled in horror. Her mother rushed in and saw how Will was positively freaking out. Will looked shocked at her mother, not exactly knowing what to say.

"So you're not lucky, huh?"

Will looked confused at her. Her mother sighed and walked to her closet. She pulled Will's second nightgown out of it and gave it to Will.

"Here, go take a shower to get that blood out of your hair. I'll nurse your ear and we'll talk over breakfast." She said before walking out of her room.

"Mom! What?" Will said confused.

Her mother didn't return. Will didn't feel well and felt even scared as she walked to the bathroom. The thing that made her feel as if she needed to throw up was the taste of raw chicken lingering in her mouth. She brushed her teeth long and noticed that her canines had grown a bit and were pointier. She quickly closed her mouth and clasped her hands in front of her mouth. Tears ran down her eyes. She couldn't believe that she was in so much trouble. Hopefully her mother knew something about this. She came out of the shower and put on her second nightgown. She had the idea that she had to stay at home today and she wasn't planning on complaining. She walked into the living room and smelled immediately a weird scent. Her stomach turned and she nearly puked. She managed to swallow it.

"Mom, can we open a window? I think I'm gonna be sick." She said.

She saw her mother standing in the kitchen, stirring in a big kettle.

"Please don't tell me you're making soup again. Besides, I don't think I can eat anything." Will moaned.

"I bet. What did you eat last night?" Her mother said.

Will raised her eyebrow. She wasn't planning on telling her mother what happened, or what she thought that happened.

"We ate broccoli and fish, remember?" She said nonchalant.

"I meant after you transformed Will." Her mother replied.

Will was standing still and looked scared at her mother.

"H-How?" She stammered.

"When I checked up on you, you were gone and your nightgown and underwear were laying ripped on the ground and the window was open." Her mother explained. "I just hoped you had the same luck as me…But then again, with two werewolf families in your blood I shouldn't be surprised."

Her whole world seemed to collapse. Did her mother say werewolf? And did she say two families?

"Wh-What do you mean?" Will asked, at the verge of tears.

Her mother noticed something had happened. She stopped stirring and motioned that Will should sit down. Will took a chair and her mother sat next to her and started to bandage her head to nurse her ear.

"You had a dream, right?" Her mother started.

Will nodded at first but then shook her head.

"I..I thought so…I hoped so…But now..The chicken taste…the blood…my ear…It really happened?" Will said scared and guilty.

Her mother sighed as she kissed her daughter on her head.

"I'm sorry sweety." She said. "I should have told you sooner, but I hoped you were lucky.. You see, I and your father come from a long line of werewolves. Your father is, just like you, a real werewolf. I had the luck to stay… uhm… 'human'."

Will's eyes widened at this revelation. Also an indescribable anger started to rise in her. She knocked her chair over and looked angrily at her mother.

"When were you planning on telling me?" She growled angrily, not noticing how she started to growl.

Her mother didn't seem surprised and stayed calm in front of her raging daughter.

"When you were ten…But your father and I started to argue and it slipped my mind…And when we came here I hoped I could tell you but you became so distant from me." her mother said.

"Lame excuses!" Will bellowed. "If you'd told me earlier I could have done something against it! I hurt Irma because of you!"

Her mother's eyes widened in surprise.

"Did she bleed in front of you a couple of days before?"

Will's anger was diminished a bit by her mother's sudden question. Not only did her mother not reply to her anger she also seemed to be wanting to ask stupid questions.

"Yeah, she cut herself." Will said annoyed.

Susan shook her head.

"You couldn't stop yourself, Will." She said. "When you transform your memories as a human disappear. You'll first try to satisfy your wolfish hunger before going after human flesh. Normally that would be a random person, but if you've smelled a blood scent of a human before the transformation, you will hunt that person."

Will growled angrily and grabbed her mother's shoulders in anger. She noticed that her mother was wincing under her grip but that didn't stop her.

"That's bullshit!" Will growled. "I had moments that I was myself. I recognized them! Why did I regress back?"

Her mother seemed surprised with that news. She breathed slowly and tried to pry Will's fingers off of her.

"If you would start to let go of me, I can explain." She said.

Will angrily loosened her grip on her mother and noticed the small bruises that were coming up. Her mother noticed that Will had seen it and started.

"As you can see, I'm bruised after you grabbed me. Now that your wolf blood has awakened you need to be careful. Your strength, smell and hearing have increased." She explained. "Also, if you haven't noticed yet, your temper has increased as well."

Will growled a bit at it but then noticed that her mother was right. She was getting angry way too quickly.

"Also try to keep your growling and baring your teeth to a minimum. You don't want people to suspect you, right?" Her mother said as she pointed at Will's raised lip.

Will quickly lowered her lip and crossed her arms after she'd set her chair up straight.

"Now listen." Her mother said as she got up and walked to the kettle.

She poured some of the green damping liquid in a cup and gave it to Will. Will looked warily at it. It reeked and it had a nasty colour of green. Will had to compare it with Blunk, sending more shivers up her spine.

"You need to drink this. It's Wolf Bane potion." Her mother explained. "When you transform tonight you'll have better control of your transformed state. You will still feel hunger, but at least you won't go on a frenzy as last night. Too bad that the shop owners are on strike today... Or else I would've bought some raw meat you could eat."

"So this means I will not go after my friends?" Will asked warily.

"Yes, but you need to drink it three times a day on days with a full moon. Then the potion will have a lingering effect and you'll be as 'normal' as possible." Her mother explained.

Without further questioning Will placed the cup at her lips. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose before drinking the whole cup in one gulp. She felt how the thick slimy liquid ran through her throat. Immediately after that a gagging reflex came over her and she had to stop herself from throwing it back up.

"You can better kill me." She complained. "I don't think I'll be able to drink that stuff three times a day on days with a full moon."

Her mother laughed a bit.

"You sound like your uncle when it happened to him." She said. "Too bad he enjoyed hunting chickens a bit too much…"

Will looked at her mother and saw the pain in her eyes. She decided not to ask her about her uncle as it seemed to bring back painful memories. Talking about painful memories…Irma! Will lunged herself at the phone.

"Will, what are you doing?" Her mother asked.

"Irma! I nearly killed her! I need to know if everything's alright!" She said scared.

Her mother quickly stood next to her and took the phone away.

"I'm sorry sweety." She said. "But if you'd call her, you would raise suspicion. It's better to wait for her call."

Will seemed to want to argue with her mother but realized she was right. A depression fell over her when she realized how much her life would change. She growled softly.

"As if having my period wasn't troublesome enough…" She complained.

**…**

Cornelia was NOT happy. Not only was there the scary howling from last night, but when Napoleon returned he told her Irma and her dad were wounded and that her mom had passed out. Lillian seemed to feel that something was wrong and Cornelia had decided to go to the other girls to check up on them. She'd went to all of their houses and was now walking with Taranee and Hay Lin. When she'd knocked at Will's house she got her mother. Will's mother told her that Will was sick and not allowed to go out. Right after that she'd gotten the call from Irma, saying that she was in the hospital and that she had to stay until 3 o'clock. So she and the others had decided to go to her, hoping to get more info. On their way to the hospital they passed a large group, discussing something.

"Yes, the whole lot. Dead."

"The man said a wolf did it."

The three girls looked worried at each other and decided to follow the group of people. They arrived at the battery cage and saw a bigger group of people standing there. With a lot of difficulty they managed to push themselves through the masses but when they did, they wished they hadn't. In front of the factory giant stains of dried blood were on the ground and there were still several bodies of chickens laying around, guts laying around and even a heart. Cornelia felt her breakfast coming back and Taranee and Hay Lin were both looking green as well. They noticed Matt standing near them, looking grim. Once they managed to get his attention he walked with them to the hospital, while telling them what had happened. The girls were shocked when they heard about the werewolf and by now Cornelia's skepticism had disappeared. But what truly scared them was that the werewolf seemed to be capable of magic.

As they arrived at the hospital they got welcomed by a smiling Irma. Both her shoulders were bandaged and she couldn't exactly wave her arms but other than that she seemed fine. She'd told the girls about how she had to expose their secret and that she was kinda wondering if they could do it in one fell swoop, telling all their parents. This made the others feel a bit scared but they realized that it would be saver if they told their parents now in the hope that they would be a little prepared if the werewolf attacked them. After adding Will to the conversation through telepathy and after some very good arguments Will relented. All of the girls noticed that Will was terrible hesitant to tell, but they understood cause they knew how scared Will was of losing her mother. Will's only condition was that they would tell it at her home, seeing that she was sick. The girls left Irma to persuade their parents, which surprisingly enough went pretty well.

At half past 3 everyone had grouped in front of Will's door. The Hales, Lairs, Cooks, Hales and Lins together with Matt, Napoleon and Huggles were waiting to be opened. The only one missing was Yan Lin, who'd taken it upon her and her twin sister Mira to keep the restaurant open. The door slowly opened and they saw Will looking tiredly through the door. Everyone, Irma, her father and Matt especially, noticed the bandage around Will's head. Will looked almost guiltily at Irma before letting them in.

"Come in." She said gloomily.

As they entered, they noticed a penetrating smell lingering in the apartment. They all wrinkled their noses.

"Boy Will! Are you cooking your sock or what?" Irma joked a bit.

Will sighed deeply and walked to the kitchen. The others walked further in and noticed several chairs were set ready in the living room. The families sat down while Will came back with a mug. When they saw what was in the cup they suppressed a gag.

"Geez Will, I was just joking!" Irma said. "But I'm not thirsty…Not anymore anyway."

Will grimaced a bit at the joke.

"It was not meant for you. It's Will's medicine."

Everyone turned around and saw Will's mother coming in. She was carrying a plate with coffee and gave it to the other parents. To the teenagers' horror they saw that Will swallowed the liquid. They nearly gagged as well as Will.

"I didn't know you would give us a horror show." Irma joked again, though she was still shivering as she could still see some of the green liquid lingering in the cup.

"Believe me that I'd rather skip the horror as well." Will muttered defeated as she placed the cup on the table.

A short silence fell on the group, in which was clear that the girls were aching to ask Will what had happened to her as well as tell their parents the truth.

"Well… Seeing that no one is planning to speak, I'll start." Susan said while looking at the group. "Could someone please explain to me why Will used puppy-eyes on me and asked me to rearrange our living room?"

The girls all looked at each other, seemingly at a loss for words, when help from another angle came.

"Is this about last night?" Irma's father asked, his eyes fixed upon his daughter.

Irma shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Will's eyes widened in shock. Taranee noticed Will's reaction, but she thought Will didn't know how Irma's father found out.

"Did something happen last night?" Hay Lin's father asked concerned.

Irma's father nodded briskly and pointed at his arm, which was now bandaged and pretty much immobile.

"Last night Irma was attacked by a monstrous wolf." He explained. "At first, Anna and I thought she had a nightmare and hurried to her chamber, with Chris close behind us. But when we entered we saw a big wolf, I believe red in color, breaking through Irma's window and trying to attack her."

"A wolf?" Taranee's mother asked, her eyebrow creased. "Tom, you must be joking."

Tom shook his head.

"Believe me Theresa, I'm not." He said. "It howled, it growled. Believe me, I know when I see a wolf."

"It was no wolf, dad." Irma suddenly said darkly.

Everyone looked in shock at Irma, who balled her fists.

"It was a werewolf." She said a bit dramatic.

A silence followed in which the adults looked incredulously at Irma. Her father placed his good hand on her leg and smiled.

"Honey, I'm not sure what I saw, but I'm quite sure it was no werewolf. Those don't exist…"

"Then explain how it howled my name?" Irma replied. "And it even seemed to recognize me for a short moment. Dad, there is more to this story than you know. There is more to us than you know."

"Hay Lin, what does she mean?" Hay Lin's father asked concerned.

"Cornelia, do you know what she is talking about?" Cornelia's mother asked.

The girls looked darkly at each other and decided that this was the best shot they got. They got up and looked at the parents, feeling terribly scared. How would their parents react? Would they accept them?

"We… We've been lying to you for three years now." Will slowly stammered, suddenly finding more interest in the floor than the people around her.

"What do you mean?" Her mother asked, concern ringing in her voice.

"We've been doing other stuff besides studying and going out." Irma said calmly.

"Don't tell me it's drugs. Taranee, I thought I raised you better than that." Theresa interjected, making Taranee sigh.

"No mom." Taranee said softly. "But when you hear what we've been doing the past three years, I think you would almost wish I did."

The parents looked in shock at their children. The girls looked concerned at each other and Irma pushed Will a bit forward.

'_I think you should tell them. Or better, show them.'_ She said telepathically to Will.

Will nodded and managed to look up at the parents. She could see the worry in their eyes and for a second, she felt terribly guilty. But then she saw Napoleon flicking his tail while smiling and how Matt tried to hide his own laughter and a smile formed on her lips. Things wouldn't change if they found out, she was sure.

Will took a deep breath and walked out of the room. The parents all looked in confusion and Will's mother was on the verge of calling her when Will re-entered the room. This time she held a small amulet in her hands, the same she'd been wearing for three years. She held it up for everyone to see.

"You see this?" She asked quietly, making everyone nod. "This is the source of our secret."

"Your necklace?" Susan asked confused.

Will nodded.

"Yeah, you never wondered where I got it, did you?"

Susan's eyes widened and she shook her head. Now that Will mentioned it, she'd never bothered to ask about the necklace. The only thing she could clearly remember was that Will suddenly had it with her, at all times.

"I know that necklace. My mother used to keep it in her closet." Hay Lin's father said briskly. "I don't understand why she'd given it to you instead of her own granddaughter."

"Chen!" Hay Lin's mother scolded. "That's your mother's business."

"No mom." Hay Lin said. "It's okay. Cause you know. The reason why Will got the necklace is because she's our leader."

"Leader?" Cornelia's mother repeated. "Leader of what?"

"The Guardians." Cornelia replied. "You see mom, we… We…"

"We posses magical abilities and protect the Earth and other dimensions from evil." Taranee said quickly, reddening a bit in the process.

The parents looked speechless at their daughters, but it was clear that their thoughts were aligned. They all really seemed to think that their daughters were hallucinating.

"Who gave you the drugs? Was it that Uriah kid?" Theresa said angrily.

The girls sighed deeply and looked awkwardly at their parents.

"We'd figured you wouldn't believe us. It does sound crazy." Irma said with a grin. "But it is true and we can prove it."

"How?" Cornelia's father asked skeptically.

"Like this." Will said before holding the jewel in the air. "Guardians unite!"

A blinding light show followed, in which the parents had to look away. Within seconds however, it ended and everyone looked shocked at the girls, who'd transformed into their Guardian forms. A new silence fell in which the parents were trying to recollect their thoughts.

"You…You…You're so beautiful!" Lillian said, being the first one to actually speak and rushed to her sister.

She walked around her and slightly tugged the skirt, to which Cornelia responded by making the plant next to the door pick Lillian of the ground. Lillian first shrieked in terror, but when she realized it was Cornelia who did it, she squealed in joy. Then Cornelia looked at her parents.

"I control earth." She said with an uncomfortable smile. "And I'm telekinetic."

"Cool." Lillian said as she turned around in the plant's vines.

Irma shot a small jet of water at Cornelia with a grin and then turned to her parents.

"Well…You've seen me use water last night. I can also use a bit of mind control and turn water into ice." She said. "So…This is the explanation."

Cornelia grumbled darkly and put Lillian down. After that the plant shot at Irma and held her in the air on a leg. Irma started shrieking, but it made the others laugh and thus lifting the awkward silence. Will nudged Taranee, who nodded in understanding. She formed a small fireball and burned the vine around Irma's leg, making Irma fall to the ground and creating another round of laughter. Irma grumbled a lot while Cornelia restored to plant to its former glory.

"I… I use fire." Taranee said, a little shaken. "And I can make a telepathic link between the girls.

With that she made a lot of non-burning flames, which bobbed near the heads of the parents. They all scared back but Peter was the one to notice that they didn't burn, when his arm accidentally went through it.

"Taranee…." Peter said softly, still in awe of what was happening.

"My little girl…" Theresa said broken.

Taranee felt how tears were coming up, but Hay Lin quickly turned the attention to her. She flew up and blew a small breeze which extinguished the fires.

"I can use air, just like grandma." Hay Lin said, making her father gasp. "Grandma was the one who told us about our powers. She was a Guardian before us… Oh yeah, I can also go invisible!"

With that Hay Lin disappeared from sight, making the parents gasp in surprise. She then reappeared next to Irma, who was grinning at the reactions of their families.

Then the attention went to Will. She grinned and blew some strands of her hair away, leaving sparks in the air.

"Billy, channel five." She then said. "Ed, tune three and James, open up, if you please."

Everyone looked confused until suddenly the television switched on to channel five, Will's cell phone played a certain tune and the refrigerator went open without anyone opening it. With a snap of her fingers everything went back to normal. As the parents watched, they could see how Will created several sparks in her hands and how she threw one at the couch.

"Quintessence."

The couch came to life and awkwardly walked through the room until Will directed it back to its original place. The silence that followed was a big one, in which Will uncomfortably shuffled.

"I.. Uhm.. I use Quintessence, or rather life energy. I can speak to electrical appliances and I can make them hearable for other magical people." She said with a small blush. "That explains why I sometimes talk to appliances… I'm not crazy."

Will used the Heart to return everyone back to normal and looked around, hoping that none of the parents would continue questioning.

"Why?"

The girls looked at Susan, who was looking almost heartbroken at Will.

"Why were you chosen?" She asked. "What have you done the last three years?"

"We don't know why we've been chosen, Mrs. Vandom." Cornelia replied. "We only know that Hay Lin was chosen due to her connection to Yan Lin and to us and that I was chosen to be the Guardian of Earth because I am the closest to the magical source of our planet."

"What is that?" Cornelia's mother asked concerned.

Cornelia looked awkwardly from her mother to her little sister. The Regents caught the cue and went to stand next to the girls.

"Uhm.. It's not a what, mom." Cornelia said. "But a who."

"What do you mean?" Lillian asked confused.

"That the Heart of Earth, the magical power of our planet, is within a human." Taranee explained carefully. "And Cornelia is the one who is always near that power."

"It's you, little toad." Cornelia said with a nudge to Lillian. "You hold the magical power of this planet."

Lillian's face brightened considerably, but both their parents shook their heads.

"No, you must be wrong." Cornelia's father said. "Lillian couldn't…."

"That's what I thought too." Cornelia admitted. "But when this evil witch went after Lillian, we knew it to be true."

"What?" Cornelia's mother said shocked. "Are you telling me that Lillian is a target for anyone who is power hungry?"

At this Matt shook his head.

"Not anymore, Mrs. Hale." He said. "You see, at the night that the witch tried to take Lillian's powers, Cornelia devised a plan. She had been telling a bed time story which Lillian had wished to be true. This actually happened due to her incompetency with her powers. But thanks to that story, we also managed to deplete the power and create certain Regents to hold on to her power until she is old and wise enough to use them."

"And who are those Regents?" Cornelia's father asked.

"That would be me, the dormouse and Mattie-boy over there." Napoleon answered with a purr.

At this several mothers started to shriek and Cornelia's mother fainted in the process. Several fathers recoiled and looked in shock at the cat, who was licking its paw. Lillian was looking with big eyes at Napoleon while Chris started to grin.

"Cool, how can it talk?" He asked.

"That's Lillian's mistake." Napoleon answered. "She wished I could talk and made me her familiar."

"Napoleon talks!" Lillian said as she hugged him closely. "He really talks! We're going to have so much fun!"

The parents were still looking incredulously at Napoleon while the Guardians and Regents looked at the display. Will leaned to Cornelia and Matt.

"I really thought she would ask when her magic lessons would start." She whispered, getting a relieved sigh from the both of them.

"You've fought a witch?" Susan finally managed to say, seemingly deciding that it was better not to ask anything about the Heart of Earth.

The girls nodded.

"Yeah, she was Will's predecessor who went a bit power mad." Irma explained. "She was really nuts, but we caught her."

"Oh! And before that, we fought an evil prince in another dimension and saved Elyon when her brother, the prince, tried to suck her dry." Hay Lin added with a grin.

"Elyon? But you told me you didn't know anything about her!" Tom said angered.

"Yeah dad. How would it have sound if I had told you that Elyon was a princess and now a Queen of another dimension. And that she wasn't born here and anything. You would have send me to a mental clinic." Irma said annoyed.

At this the other parents muttered their agreement. But they couldn't believe it, or rather, they didn't want to. On one hand, it explained why their daughters had been acting so weird for the past three years. On the other hand they hadn't expected to hear that they'd been fighting evil. Taranee was right. They'd rather heard that their children had been doing drugs. Finally Irma's father decided to breach the silence.

"So, do you know why that…That werewolf tried to attack us?" He finally asked.

The girls looked uncomfortably at each other. Will tried to keep her face as straight as possible. She didn't want to give anything away, but if she'd looked too neutral, it would be noticed as well. She nearly let out a sigh of relief when Napoleon took command.

"I don't know." He purred. "Perhaps it's a new enemy of the girls, or just a threat to Earth…"

"Wait a second Napoleon." Irma interrupted. "If the werewolf is just a threat to Earth, it's also our enemy."

Napoleon shook it's head and looked at Irma.

"I'm sorry doll, but it's only your enemy when Kandrakar says so. And you haven't had a call, so it means that you are not needed." He said rather harsh.

"Napoleon!" Cornelia said shocked.

Napoleon's tail went in the air and he looked sternly at the five girls.

"No. We are the Regents of Earth. It is our job to protect it. Not just yours. If we need your help, we'll ask you." He said sternly.

The girls looked in shock at him, while he glared back.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this…Btu what is Kandrakar?" Susan asked, breaking the glare wars between four girls and a cat. Will had been standing passively and Susan had a feeling that she would be noticed if she hadn't stepped in.

"Kandrakar is the place where our powers come from." Will said, quickly jumping on the opportunity to get the attention away from the current topic. "The Oracle was the one who chose us to be Guardians."

"And he will be the one who will tell us to hunt that werewolf!" Irma growled annoyed. "Will, fold us to Kandrakar now!"

Will looked shocked at Irma, before shaking her head.

"N-No, Irma. I won't." She said, her voice a bit unstable. "Your father's explanation and your wounds are proof that it's too dangerous to go hunt it."

"With the five of us we can easily take it!" Irma replied forcefully. "Come on Will, we took down a snake as big as Corny's apartment building!"

"As long as the Oracle doesn't summon us, I won't." Will said resolute.

Susan noticed that Will was getting angry again, but she wasn't sure of what to do. She hoped Irma would stop her demands or else Will's secret would be blown within seconds.

"Why are you so against it? You're normally the first the jump at such opportunities." Cornelia suddenly said.

Will clenched her fists and started to breath heavily. She was getting angry and she was having more and more trouble with containing it. Luckily Taranee jumped in.

"Hey, Will's ill. Perhaps it's better to just wait." She proposed.

"But don't you think it's suspicious that Will didn't answer to your call last night?" Irma accused. "Or that her right ear is wounded? The same ear my father shot?"

Will had fallen silent. She could feel how everyone was looking at her, demanding an explanation. Sweat pearled over her face and the urge to scream overcame her. The Heart lighted up and a sudden idea came to mind. She took a deep breath and looked directly at Irma.

"If you want to know." She said coldly. "I woke up somewhere in the night. I don't recall hearing a howl, but I know I had a terrible headache. Which became worse during the night. I wanted to get an aspirin, not wanting to wake my mother. So I got up and went to the kitchen, but I noticed that I was terribly wobbly. As if the walls and ground were moving. As I walked into the kitchen, I nearly fell. I tried to grab the sink, but I missed it. Instead I managed to hit a knife, which had to be cleaned, and I knocked it on the ground with me. I fell first and the knife managed to slice me in my ear."

Irma and Cornelia had raised an eyebrow, but Taranee and Hay Lin had gasped. Susan decided to aid Will in the lie.

"I heard a lot of noise in the kitchen and when I went to look, I saw Will on the ground with blood coming from her ear and the knife sticking out of her ear. I was shocked and rushed towards her, finding that she had a fever. I put the bandage around her head and gave her an aspirin. I was glad when I found that her fever had gone down with several degrees this morning." Susan added.

At this all the girls looked at Will in concern. Susan noticed that only Napoleon seemed to be suspicious of Will, but she didn't think too much of it. He was a cat after all.

"Will… Sorry for giving you a worse headache." Taranee said softly.

Will gave her a weak smile.

"It's okay T." She said. "You didn't know."

"And I'm sorry for being all suspicious." Irma said softly.

Will sighed darkly and gave her a wry smile.

"I understand why." She replied, making Irma smile at her.

"So.. Kandrakar?" Irma asked.

Will shook her head.

"No. Not now. Not when I'm better." She said resolute. "This is a job for the Regents. Not to give you a chance for revenge, even if I think you deserve one."

Irma wanted to open her mouth, but Will looked darkly at her.

"No means no." She said dangerously, making Irma swallow her words.

A new silence reigned in the room, in which the girls looked awkwardly at each other. The parents looked lost at their daughters. They weren't quite sure what just happened, but they did realize something. Their daughters, or at least a few of them, were willing to go and find this werewolf.

"I agree with Will." Theresa said sternly, making her daughter look shocked at her mother. "It's too dangerous for you to go. I don't want to lose you because of some job you were forced to take."

"Mom!" Taranee moaned.

"No." Theresa said. "And I assume this Oracle guy is the one who gave you your powers? I want to have a talk with him."

Taranee groaned unpleasantly and several other parents agreed with Theresa's statement. Both Irma and Taranee gave Will a look, who only shrugged a bit.

"Perhaps we should keep them under house arrest. That way that Oracle guy will know that we do not condone to this kind of child-labor." Taranee's father proposed.

At this all the girls looked shocked. Their parents were actually thinking of locking them up! They had never thought this could happen.

"What?" Cornelia said shocked. "You can't do that!"

"And why not, young lady. We _are_ your parents." Her mother said sternly.

"We save planets!" Irma said astonished. "Are you saying that we should stop worlds from being controlled by tyrants?"

"At the cost of your own life?" Her mother interjected. "And us not knowing what kind of dangers you encounter?"

More arguments followed, the girls trying to defend their point while the parents tried to get their way. The only people who did not actively participate in the argument were Matt, Huggles, Napoleon, Chris, Lillian and Will. The Regents decided that it was better to stay silent, cause they had a feeling their heads would be bitten off if they dared to interject. Lillian and Chris were way too busy with talking to each other about Lillian's powers that they didn't even notice the big fight. Will did not participate because she knew it was pointless. The girls had accepted their role and could always decline it, yet they didn't cause they knew they were doing good. She did understand the parents' point of view, but they were now being ridiculous. Locking them up would only make things worse.  
The wolf inside her, the part that she felt getting angry and blaming it on her being a werewolf, was growling annoyed. A lot of noise which was drumming firmly on her ears and now that her hearing had improved, it immediately pointed out that it was a bad thing as well. Her ears now thumping, Will made a choice. The choice of giving into the monster inside of her and hoping she wouldn't expose herself.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

She breathed deeply, trying to stay calm, but it became increasingly more difficult for her to do so. Not only were her friends close to the edge, their parents were also pushing the button. She saw her mother looking critically and she knew that she had to remain in control.

"This is not the reason why we told you all about this." She said, her voice quivering a bit. "We have been doing this for three years now and we will continue until one of us truly decides to stop. We are doing this because we are helping people and that's something we all like. We love our jobs, even if we complain about the hours. We told you about this because we trust you and want to protect you in the best way we can. This werewolf is dangerous, but we don't know if it is our enemy or if it attacked at random. That's why only the Regents will investigate it. We will jump in when they ask or when another one of us is attacked. The only thing I ask you is to stay at home at night. That way we can protect you easier."

None of the parents seemed to like the idea, but the looks on the faces of their daughters made them clear that what Will had said was true. They looked grim at each other, but in the end they nodded their heads.

"You are right." Theresa admitted darkly. "We may not like it, but you girls are doing a fantastic job. Just promise me that you'll be a bit more open to us from now on."

Taranee smiled at her mother.

"We will mom. And thanks." She said.

The girls went to hug their parents, while the Regents sighed in relief. When Will hugged her mother, Susan could feel how tensed Will was and decided it was better to give her some more space. Therefore she placed her hand on Will's head and gasped.

"Oh no." She said concerned. "Your fever is coming back."

Will figured out what her mother was trying and was silently very grateful. She could use some time alone now.

"I think it's better for us to go now." Cornelia's mother said, getting up. "Are you coming Lillian?"

"Yeah, but I want Matt to come with us too!" Lillian said. "I want to see my powers!"

At this both Matt and Cornelia sighed in defeat.

"I'll come." Matt said, getting a hug from Lillian.

He turned to Will, but he refrained himself from kissing her, not wanting to get sick himself or accidentally make her condition worse. He gently took her in a hug and brushed some strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Get well soon, okay?" He said to her.

He felt Will's grip tightening and he looked concerned at her. She was looking a bit pale. Her eyes shone softly as she nodded.

"See you at school." She said. "Or maybe tomorrow?"

Matt nodded and smiled lovingly at her, while Will could only smile in return. The two separated and the girls each gave their goodbyes. They all left the apartment and entered the elevator. They saw Will looking at them as they got in.

"Is she always like this?" Cornelia's father asked softly as the doors closed.

"Only when needed." Cornelia answered carefully.

"And luckily that's not often. She's scary when she's like this." Irma added.

"And this time she was on our side!" Hay Lin joked.

The girls ended up giggling while their parents looked at them. They still could not understand how their girls could accept this all so easily. Though there was one thing that calmed them a bit.

"At least you're in good hands." Tom said content. "I don't think Will leads you into dangerous situations."

The girls looked at each other knowingly, but they also knew that there was no choice at those times. So they all nodded in agreement.

**…**

Susan watched how Will closed the door. She had never thought her daughter would have been involved in such dangerous activities. Guilt filled her a bit as she thought of all the times she'd been blaming Will for being irresponsible. She felt even more pity for the girl as she saw how Will slumped to the couch and sat on it with her knees pulled up. The television switched on on itself and it showed "The dogwhisperer" on National Geographic. Will growled darkly as her eyes narrowed.

"Billy, I swear. If this is a joke to you than you better get used to having a hole in your screen." She snarled.

With that the television switched to a cartoon, to which Will relaxed slightly. Susan looked sadly at her daughter when an idea came to mind. Though it was not much, it was at least something she could do to cheer up Will. She went to the kitchen and got her purse. She took a twenty dollar bill and went to the living room, where Will was still sitting.

"Hey honey." She said, gaining Will's attention.

Will looked up and saw her mother looking at her. She was not in the mood to explain her everything she'd done up until now and she merely shrugged her shoulders.

Her mother did not give up and showed the twenty dollar bill.

"What do you say that you go and buy a big bowl of ice cream and we'll eat it while watching some of your old cartoons?" Her mother said.

Will perked up at that thought and looked up. Her mother smiled and gave her the money, after which Will hugged her.

"Thanks." She said.

Susan smiled, a bit guiltily perhaps. This was the first time since long that her daughter hugged her like this and she liked it. She broke the hug and smiled at Will.

"Now go on. I'll prepare the living room for the movies and your… 'special condition'." She said.

At the last part Will grumbled darkly and looked almost sadly at her mother.

"Is it…Okay if I stay here tonight?" She asked carefully. "If I manage to stay myself."

Susan smiled sadly at her daughter.

"Don't worry, you will be." She said. "Now off you go. And buy a lot of ice cream. You look like you need it."

Will rushed out of the house, taking her jacket off the hook. Susan watched how her daughter disappeared and sighed. She knew Will was still terribly down and depressed. She even knew that it was better to not continue questioning about the revelation. But things bothered her slightly. Why did Will say that they would hunt the werewolf if it would attack any of them again? Was she planning on letting her friends kill her if she ended up running loose?

A cracking sound pulled her out of her thoughts. Susan looked down and saw that she'd been holding the chair a bit too tight and made markings with her fingers into it. She sighed a bit and placed it at its proper place. She'd truly hoped Will would've had the same luck as she had. Her eyes went to the window. The sun was still shining brightly, but Susan knew that it was only a matter of time before Will's second night would begin. And even though she was drinking her potion, she could still be cranky or worse.

"Thomas, you really chose a bad timing for a meeting." Susan sighed annoyed as she rearranged the chairs again.

**...**

Will returned half an hour later with the biggest bowl of chocolate ice cream she could find. As mother and daughter ate the ice cream on the couch, they couldn't help but feel happy. Even though they were troubled by the problems concerning Will, they couldn't deny it that they were happy that they could cuddle next to each other on the couch. They hadn't done it for years and it was something that they had missed. They'd ordered pizza around 8 o'clock and Will drank her last portion of Wolf Bane potion. After that, they resumed their cartoon marathon.

Due to their time together, they hadn't noticed how the sun started to set. Only when Susan yawned and stretched a bit did she look out of the window. Her smile faded a bit when she saw the orange rays of the sun. She gently prodded Will, who was into watching a particular cartoon and pointed outside. Will looked as well and shivered a bit. She cuddled more into her mother and Susan could already feel the goose bumps on Will's skin.

"I don't want to." Will muttered softly, her voice a bit broken.

Susan looked sadly at her daughter and softly petted her hair.

"Don't worry. This time, you are you." She said, trying to calm Will.

Will looked up at her mother and Susan could see the fear in her eyes.

"But what if I'm not?" She asked. "You have no idea how it feels."

Susan watched as Will got from the couch. She started to pace in front of her and Susan noticed how Will's eyes kept wandering to the window.

"I... I... felt like a monster." Will said as she hugged herself. "When everyone was here, I had trouble not growling at them. I was angry so quickly. If you hadn't stepped in I would have lost control."

Susan wanted to get up and hug her daughter again, but Will came to a halt in front of the window. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon and Susan felt it as well. The moon was slowly rising.

"Honey, I've placed some blankets near the window in my room. So if you feel like sleeping there or laying there I wouldn't mind." Susan said.

"And if I...Attack you?" Will replied, though her attention was towards the window.

Susan saw shivers going over Will's back.

"Don't worry. I can protect myself." She said soothingly. "But if I were you I would undress myself, unless you want to go on a shopping spree with Cornelia cause your clothes were ripped."

Even if Will did no longer reply to her words, she did start to strip herself. Susan started to shiver as well and held her breath when the first moonbeams fell through the window. Will, who was now stark naked, took a sharp breath and started to shudder badly. Even if Susan had seen it countless of times before with her brothers and husband, she still couldn't stop feeling pity as Will bend forwards, her face contracted in pain. With growing interest she watched how Will's limbs were growing and how red fur was covering her rapidly.

The transformation came to a halt and Susan saw a red werewolf standing near the window. The werewolf looked carefully around and suddenly turned around, startling Susan. Susan was looking right into two bluish white eyes and she saw how Will opened her mouth, showing an impressive row of teeth. She also noticed that Will was wearing the pink necklace, which seemed to have transformed with her into a collar with the jewel engraved in it, though her fur was covering it slightly. If the jewel hadn't lighted for a moment, Susan wouldn't have noticed it.

"Will?" She asked carefully.

Will rubbed over her head and looked again surprised at her mother.

"I... I am in control." She said surprised, almost sounding happy. "I'm in control!"

Susan noticed how Will's voice had become raspier and heavier than before, but she sighed relieved.

"I told you, didn't I?" She said a bit teasingly.

Will took the liberty of sticking out her tongue, making her mother grin. A growling sound followed and both looked a bit worried at Will's stomach.

"You... Can go out, you know?" Susan slowly suggested.

At this Will shook her head strongly.  
"No." She said resolute. "I'm not going to risk anything tonight. I'm going to stay here and... And..."

Will started to sniff into the air and Susan raised an eyebrow. She certainly hoped Will wouldn't smell her blood because she wasn't sure if Wolf Bane would stop the blood lust on the first night as well.  
Suddenly Will shot behind the couch, which seemed to be a bit cramped.

"Someone's at the door!" She whimpered scared. "And they have meat! Do you think someone found out?"

Susan's eyes widened as she now too smelled the scent of raw chicken. Not a few seconds later someone knocked on the door. Susan shot a worried look at Will, who was making herself smaller and smaller. She sighed and walked to the door as they knocked again.

"Don't!" Will whimpered, but Susan ignored it. She could always tell these people to go away.

She opened the door slightly and looked through the cranny. Her eyes widened in surprise. Yan Lin, a young lady Susan faintly recalled as a friend of Will, an older African American woman with grey streaks in her black hair of which Susan was sure she'd seen once before and Napoleon were standing in front of the door. When the girl noticed that Susan had opened the door she waved casually and put on a big cheesy smile. Susan's eyes wandered from the girl to Yan Lin, who was carrying a bag from which the scent of chicken came from.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely, opening the door a bit more.

Yan Lin smiled friendly in return and the other older woman nodded gently.  
"Long time no see Susan." The older woman said. "I see you still are in control during the full moon."

Susan looked surprised at the older woman, who smiled at her.  
"Uh... What do you...?" She started before the young girl interrupted.

"Kaddie, you're being mean. The woman only met you once or twice before. And then you went off to another planet. You can't blame her for not remembering you." The girl said with a grin.

The older woman glared annoyed at the younger girl, who returned the glare with a cheesy smile. She older woman then sighed and smiled again at Susan.  
"I'm Joe's wife." She said. "We met at a moon gathering years ago, just after you'd married Thomas. I'm Kadma..."

Susan's eyes lit up in recognition.  
"Yes!" She said with a nod. "Now I remember! How have you been?"

Kadma smiled at her.  
"I've been well. I've recently moved to Heatherfield and I'm waiting for Joe to follow. But that's not the reason why we're here." She replied.

Susan started to feel a bit nervous.  
"Oh?" She asked. "Then why are you here?"

"Is Will home?" The young girl blatantly asked. "I wanna see her."

Before Susan could answer she noticed that, while she'd been talking to Kadma, Napoleon had disappeared. A hiss and a bark came from the apartment and a feeling of dread filled her when Kadma's, Yan Lin's and the girl's eyes went from her to the door.

"Found her!" Napoleon's voice called out.

Susan turned around and saw Will glaring at the cat, who was sitting on the couch. She heard the door open behind her and she could see how Will's look went from anger to complete shock and fear.

"Hello Will." Yan Lin said.

_**[A/N] So... The girls confessed and Will is planning to lock herself in her apartment every moon. But how did Yan Lin, Cassidy, Kadma and Napoleon figure out what her secret was? And what is Kadma's relation to Susan exactly? I can tell you this, those who've read Lexvan's stories should know where this is going.  
I think this was a rather dull chapter, don't you think? Well, I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be dull as well (in my eyes) but the one after that will be interesting.  
More fun the next moon and chapter! **_

_**Please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3 Unexpected help

**Chapter 3 Unexpected help**

Cassidy, Kadma and Yan Lin were looking into the dimly lit living room of the Vandom residence, right past Susan, who made sad attempts to block their view. Behind Susan and the couch in the living room, was a big wolf visible, though you wouldn't have seen her if she hadn't moved. The black cat on the couch was eyeing the wolf suspiciously while the wolf had only eyes for the three ex-Guardians.

"Hello Will." Yan Lin said, smiling friendly at her.

The wolf's eyes shifted from the three women to Susan, as if she was asking for guidance. Susan only shrugged in a way that told the wolf that she was sorry.

"Mrs. Lin. I think you can better go..." Susan carefully said.

"Nonsense. A pup isn't going to scare me." Yan Lin replied, batting Susan's warning in the wind.

She, together with Cassidy and Kadma walked into the room, after which both Cassidy and Yan Lin pinched their noses.

"And there is the Wolf Bane." Cassidy moaned slightly. "Man! That stuff stinks."

"You two are overreacting." Kadma said with a creased brow.

Susan had quickly closed the door and rushed to the three women, who were now steadily making their way to Will. She managed to block their path, though her nervous smile had disappeared. Now she was looking coldly at them.

"Why are you here?" She asked, her voice a bit lower than usual and with a slight hint of a growl.

Both Cassidy and Yan Lin creased a brow, looking interested at Susan, while Kadma only shook her head. She placed her hand on Susan's shoulder.

"Don't worry. You know I'm perfectly capable of interacting with werewolves. And my friends here as well." She said reassuringly, though Susan didn't seem convinced.

Kadma sighed slightly as she saw how Susan went defensive, but she couldn't blame her. Will could already be in danger for as far as they knew.

"Mrs. Vandom, I can safely tell you that none of the girls or their parents have figured out Will's... Uhm... Furry problem." Cassidy said with a cheesy grin to Will.

"Then how can you, or the cat, know about this?" Susan countered.

At this the cat coughed loudly, gaining attention of everyone in the group.  
"I thought Will was a bit suspicious and wanted to shadow her, yet I also wanted more information about werewolves, so I went to Yan Lin. But as I went, Yan Lin already knew about Will's status." He explained, his eyes constantly wandering off to Will.

Hearing this, Will turned to Yan Lin, who grinned at her.

"How did you know?" She asked, her voice raspy and low.

"Wow, you sound like a smoker!" Cassidy said, earning a growl from Will and a slap from Kadma.

Yan Lin shook her head slightly and then tapped her nose.

"When my son and daughter-in-law returned with Hay Lin I could smell the Wolf Bane coming from them. And seeing that Hay Lin told me that they had gone to your house for the great reveal, I simply put one and one together." She explained.

"And seeing that Kaddie, Hallie and I were dining with her when Hay Lin returned, we learned of it as well." Cassidy said. "Well... Halinor knew it all along, but didn't tell us."

Will sighed at first, before the full meaning of those words dawned on her. Her eyes widened in shock and she took a sharp breath.

"Does that mean that Oracle knows of this as well?" She whimpered shocked.

At this the three women nodded, making Will moan softly.

"Aw man. I wonder when he'll summon me. He will probably demand that I should stop being a Guardian! I hate this. How am I supposed to explain that to the girls? Or Matt? They will figure out and they will hunt me and ... and..." Will said, already on the verge of tears.

At this Susan looked concerned at Will, before sending a glare at the three women. The three women in question saw her looking and merely grinned as they let Will rant. When Will finally stopped, Cassidy was on the verge of laughter and was only being stopped by Kadma's glare.

"Will, calm down." Yan Lin said calmly, earning Will's attention. "That was exactly the reason why Halinor came. After Hay Lin walked by and I noticed the scent, she explained the situation to us."

"Situation?" Susan echoed, looking slightly confused.

Kadma nodded as Yan Lin continued.  
"Will, you know the Heart chooses its bearer." She said. "The Oracle can always force the Heart to choose another Keeper if he doesn't deem the first one worthy, but he did no such thing with you, even when he knew that you were a werewolf."

"Why?" Will asked softly. "I'm pretty much a danger to the girls."

At this Kadma looked sternly at Will, making the girl slightly anxious.

"Listen to me, young lady." She said sternly. "I married a werewolf and he did not only safeguard me and my children, he also helped us on many Guardian missions. The only time he was actually dangerous, was when he did not drink the potion, but I don't think you wouldn't drink it after seeing its effect tonight. Am I right?"

Will nodded dumbfounded and everyone could see that she seemed to calm down for a bit.

"Yes ma'am." She said, sounding slightly better.

Her eyes then fell on Napoleon, who started to look a bit anxious. Will's eyes narrowed and Napoleon's back arched. The four women in the room were afraid that Will's feral instincts were coming up, but instead Will lowered her head and looked Napoleon right in the eyes.

"And… You are not going to say anything, are you?" She growled at him, giving him a clear warning.

Napoleon looked challenging at Will.

"At what if I did?" He asked, though his voice was slightly shaking.

"Then I'll buy Lillian a new cat." Will replied with a wolfish grin, showing her teeth to Napoleon.

"Yikes!" Napoleon said as he jumped away from Will and hid behind Cassidy.

Cassidy and Yan Lin were laughing about it, while Kadma was hiding a grin. Susan, however, seemed less pleased.

"Will. Behave yourself." She said. "You know he wouldn't."

Napoleon nodded vigorously, while Will only grinned.

"I was just joking mom." Will said, though she seemed to be relieved.

"Don't worry Mrs. V." Cassidy said. "Napoleon is supposed to be able to fight the big bad wolf."

At this both Napoleon and Will glared at Cassidy, who only replied with a smug grin. Napoleon and Will then eyes each other, not knowing what to say and silently agreed to not mention the fact that Napoleon alone would probably not be able to stop Will from eating him.

A short silence fell in the room in which Cassidy, Kadma and Yan Lin studied Will. There was something about her that couldn't be right. Something that was clashing with the information they had.

"So… Was that all Halinor had to tell you?" Will asked carefully, breaking the silence and the looks upon her.

The three looked at each other before shaking their heads simultaneously.

"No, but first you have to do something for us." Yan Lin replied.

Both Will and Susan raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the older woman.

"What?" Will asked carefully.

Cassidy jumped forward and grabbed Will right claw. She then started pulling on Will, who simply used some strength to keep Cassidy from pulling her to Yan Lin and Kadma.

"Ugh. Come on!" Cassidy muttered as she pulled harder. "Show yourself! Physical check-up! Urgh… Dang, you're strong."

Will relented, knowing that what they asked wasn't dangerous of any kind, and gave into Cassidy's pulling, resulting in Cassidy falling to the ground because of the sudden loss of resistance. Will helped Cassidy up and walked to Yan Lin and Kadma, who had turned on the kitchen light to get a better look. She then removed the bandage around her head, which was already loose, and revealed that her ear had completely healed. Susan was standing in the corner of the kitchen, seemingly anxious to see the reaction of the three women.

When Will stood in the middle, the three women started to circle her.

"She's pretty tall for a cub." Kadma muttered as she held one of Will's forearms up. "And her claws are pretty strong."

"The fur has also a peculiar colour." Yan Lin muttered. "Only a few clans have it."

"Her eyes are like Quintessence." Cassidy said as she looked right at Will's eyes. "Strange. Never seen that before. I mean, Guardian powers take no affect when they transform into a werewolf. Though interesting that the Heart transforms with you..."

"Now Cassidy, the northern clans do have bluish eyes." Yan Lin replied.

"Yeah, but those also look more like huskies than red wolves." Cassidy countered, making the others mumble in agreement.

Will grew slightly annoyed as the three women kept circling her. Why were they muttering all these things? How many werewolves had they met during their time as Guardians? And why was this important?

"Open your mouth." Yan Lin commanded, to which Will unconsciously started to growl.

At this Yan Lin flicked her nose, making Will yelp in surprise and rub her nose while glaring at the woman.

"I won't let a whelp growl at me, remember that." She said with a glimmer in her eyes. "Now open up."

Will opened her mouth annoyed, showing the three ex-Guardians her teeth.

"Tall for a cub, red fur, bluish eyes, strong claws and already teeth the size of pocket knives…" Kadma muttered before hers, as well as Yan Lin's eyes widened in shock.

The two women turned to Susan, who was now discreetly trying to make some coffee, while Cassidy looked confused at her friends. Will closed her mouth and looked confused at the two of them as well.

"Susan, could you explain to me why Will looks exactly like a cub of the Rahu clan? Especially when the alpha of said clan had said that there were no cubs around Will's age?" Kadma asked, her voice slightly trembling.

Will looked confused at her mother, who was now scratching her head. Susan looked from Kadma to Will and bit her lip.

"How do you know that?" She then asked, her question directed to Kadma.

"I've been in contact with Joe and he kept me up to date in the werewolf society." Yan Lin replied. "And I have brought Kadma up to date. But to think that the Vandom family was one of the royal clans…"

"Royal? Wait, what?" Will said, feeling a bit anxious. "What does she mean?"

Susan sighed and walked over to Will. She leaned against her daughter, who could feel her mother's anxiety.

"You see. Thomas lied slightly when he said that." Susan said as she looked at Kadma.

"Thomas?" Kadma said. "You mean, he is Dante? The alpha of the Rahu clan?"

Susan nodded slowly. Kadma and Yan Lin gasped surprised, while Cassidy, Napoleon and Will looked heavily confused.

"Dante? Rahu?" Will echoed. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Susan sighed heavily and went to sit on the couch, her hands in her hair. Will went to lay next to her mother, finding that laying down was more comfortable than standing up straight. Yan Lin, Kadma and Cassidy went to sit on the chairs while Napoleon sat down next to Will.

"Your father should be telling you these things." Susan sighed annoyed.

"What things?" Will asked.

Susan looked out of the window, her eyes fixed on the moon. She bit her lip and seemed to be pondering about something until she relented.

"Werewolf society is different from human society." She finally said. "Werewolves gain by birth an additional name, which will become the name they use and answer to when they are transformed. That way if you ever get into a quarrel with another werewolf, he or she can never find you and expose your secret. This also means that the werewolf has also a human and a werewolf surname. The werewolf surname refers to the clan to which you belong. Your human surname is Vandom, but your werewolf and clan name is Rahu."

Will was silent and looked at her mother. Slowly the words started to make sense and she managed slowly nodded, indicating that her mother could continue.

"So…That means Dad's werewolf first name is Dante?" She said, getting a nod from her mother. "What's mine?"

Her mother smiled at her and gently scratched her behind the ear, which sent pleasurable shivers along Will's spine.

"Your werewolf name is Tala." Susan said gently.

When Will heard her werewolf name, she immediately looked up, her ears sharp, as if she'd been called that for all her life. She understood what her mother meant with answering to the name and looked encouragingly at her mother, telling her to continue.

"There are multiple clans, though there are two leading clans, which are the strongest and most influential clans among the werewolves. Which are referred to as royalty in the werewolf society." Susan continued. "The Rahu and the Irraka."

Will nodded in understanding, now joined by Cassidy.

"But why did Thomas tell the other clans that there were no cubs of 16 years old?" Kadma asked, slightly confused.

Susan looked guiltily from Will to Kadma. She petted Will on the head and sighed a bit.

"Because of a deal with the Irraka made by his father." Susan muttered. "It would have involved Will and doing something she'd probably wouldn't agree to and I did not want that to happen either. That's why the two of us argued so much back in the day. But after we left and moved to Heatherfield, he told me that he'd kept Will's identity a secret, at least for now, seeing that we weren't even sure if Will was a werewolf or not."

"What do you mean, you weren't sure?" Will asked confused.

"Because... I have a 'special' condition which prevents my transformation during a full moon." Susan explained. "And both your father and I had hoped you would have it as well."

Will nodded slowly.

"But, will the other clans not be outraged when they find out that the two of you have kept Will a secret?" Kadma asked, concern ringing in her voice.

Susan shook her head.

"Don't worry yourself about that. That's where my special condition comes into play. Seeing that it is inheritable, they will believe that we didn't want to put their hopes up." She said.

"And that deal?" Napoleon asked.

"When Thomas became alpha, the alpha of the Irraka changed as well and both rejected that deal." Susan said. "Now they will form packs together to strengthen the bond."

"Oh." Will, Napoleon, Cassidy, Kadma and Yan Lin chorused.

A growling sound followed and Will looked ashamed at her own stomach, while the others chuckled.

"Someone's hungry." Cassidy remarked with a grin. "Let me guess, you won't go hunting?"

Will nodded.

"No way am I going to risk walking into Matt today." She said softly, getting a nod from the others.

Yan Lin got up and walked to the kitchen, where she'd left her bag.

"I already had a feeling you wouldn't go out. It's a good thing I managed to collect the leftovers." She said as she took the bag and brought it to Will.

Will opened the bag and saw either raw meat, which had been cut from the pieces which were cooked, or true leftovers from meals, but who was she to complain? She immediately dug in, leaving only Cassidy slightly grossed out.

A silence ruled which was sometimes interrupted by eating sounds coming from Will when a piercing howl broke it. Another one quickly followed and Will immediately stopped eating and rushed to the window, together with Napoleon. If Napoleon hadn't transformed and stopped her, Will would have jumped out of the window.

"Napoleon let me go!" Will growled as she started to struggle against him. "They are near Taranee!"

Napoleon was surprised and had a small moment where he let his grip lessen on Will. Will immediately took her chance and pushed Napoleon off of her.  
Susan, who'd been slightly surprised by Napoleon's size, had snapped out of her confusion and was now blocking Will's way to the window. She had her arms spread and Will was hesitating to attack her mother.

"Mom, move." Will growled.

"No. You sit down." Susan replied, her tone stern.

Mother and daughter stared at each other, while the three ex-Guardians looked concerned at them. Will then snarled at her mother, who only bared her teeth herself. Will growled loudly and turned around, running to her own chamber. Susan, Yan Lin, Cassidy, Kadma and Napoleon were too late to stop Will from jumping from her window and they all looked from the window at how Will ran off to Taranee's direction.

"Not good." Cassidy muttered.

Napoleon growled himself and turned to the ex-Guardians.

"I'll teletransport to Matt and bring him up to date on where those other wolves are. Hopefully I'll be in time to shoo Will away." He said as he teletransported away.

Susan sighed and placed her hands for her face.

"Argh! She is even more disobedient than usual!" She groaned.

"Let's hope that Napoleon will be in time." Kadma muttered. "I don't think it is a good idea for Will to fight two werewolves on her own."

**...**

Taranee's heart was thundering in her chest and she could see her fear reflected on the faces of her family. Her first impulse was to run outside, check if she could see the danger, but the concern in her mother's eyes stopped her.

"Was that...?" Theresa asked, her voice trembling.

Taranee felt sweat pearling down her temples as a crack was heard outside, not too far away from her house. Was the werewolf here? No, it couldn't be just one. She'd heard two howls. Had the werewolf who'd attacked Irma gotten reinforcements? Was it truly a new enemy?

Everyone was dead silent as they tried to get another indication to where the werewolves should be. Suddenly a crack was heard, but it wasn't at her house. Instead, she heard a loud scream a couple of houses from hers, but she couldn't stop herself from rushing to the door. Her father was quicker than she was and grabbed her tightly around the waist.

"Dad! Let me go! Those people are in danger!" Taranee said, her voice high-pitched and full of fear.

"I can't, Taranee." Her father said, his voice full of tears. "I can't lose you."

Taranee frantically tried to free herself from her father as more screams filled the night. In the end she had no other choice than to slightly burn her father's arm, to which he let her go.

"Sorry dad, but I have to save them, or at least try." She said as she slipped past her father and through the door.

She heard her mother and father call for her and she heard how her brother stumbled through the living room. Taranee bit her lip as she melted the door in a way that they couldn't open it. She heard her family beating against the door and guilt filled her, but they had to understand that she couldn't let innocent people die.

Just as she turned around to look for the source of the ruckus, she heard another piercing howl. This one resembled the one from last night and Taranee's eyes became big as she saw the big red werewolf, which had attacked Irma, ran straight past her. For a second she'd thought that the werewolf hadn't seen her when it made eye-contact with her for a small period of time. Taranee froze but the wolf kept running.

Taranee ran to the front of the front garden and heard multiple beatings on doors from around the street. How was it possible that the doors weren't opening?

The thought boggled Taranee's mind for just about 2 seconds, because then she could see that four houses away from hers, the door lay broken on the front garden. Sounds of fighting, yelping of the wolves and a lot of growling followed, which led to Taranee hurrying towards the house, but she came to a standstill when a black werewolf was being thrown on the street. Her eyes widened as the beast growled and she even gasped as another one followed, this one having a bleeding spot on its head.

The red werewolf slowly came out of the house, breathing heavily and having a bleeding gash on its head as well along with a nasty scratch on its arm. Taranee could barely see the bodies of people laying behind it.

What had happened? Had those wolves...Had they...

**...**

Jeremy was playing nicely in his room. He'd received a wooden train for his tenth birthday and was now silently playing with it in his room. He'd been a bit down when his friend, with orange hair and a lot of pimples in his face, hadn't visited him on his birthday, but at least he'd visited today and he promised he would come by tomorrow as well. He couldn't wait for Uriah to come by again. He was always so nice and Jeremy loved playing with him. Hopefully they would play cowboy and Indian tomorrow.

Jeremy had just finished building a station for his train, to which Uriah had contributed before he left, when the howls thundered through his room. Fear filled him and tears were already in his eyes.

"Mommy!" He yelled scared as he stumbled out of his room. "Mommy! Daddy! I'm scared!"

He stumbled to the stairs, when he saw it. A splintering noise came from their front door and Jeremy's eyes widened as two large dogs walked in. Their eyes settled on him and they immediately jumped at him, making Jeremy cry in fear. Because of the fear, he misplaced his foot and rolled down the stairs, evading the two dogs which had jumped over him. The fall was hurting him a lot and Jeremy cried only louder.

"Jeremy!"

Jeremy looked through his tears at his mother, who had come running to him. He stretched out his arms and he could feel how his mother's warm arms wrapped around him, but it stopped there. One of the dogs had jumped down and it had slashed at his mother. Jeremy watched in shock how his mother fell to the ground, her eyes wide open and some blood dripping down her mouth.

Jeremy cried even harder when the other dog had jumped down as well. It had grabbed him and it bit him in the arm. Jeremy could feel how blood dripped down his arm and he was even more scared than before. His mother wasn't moving anymore and blood ran down his arm. The big dog who'd bitten him grabbed him and placed him over his shoulder.

Jeremy cried his lungs out, hoping his father would save him, or anyone else for that matter. Maybe his mother would jump up and save him.

More stumbling was heard and Jeremy could just see how his father fell down as well, blood running from his head.

"DADDY!"

Jeremy was crying desperately for his father, hoping he would save him from this nightmare. He started kicking and beating the dog's back with his uninjured arm, but the dog only chuckled.

"The boss will be happy." Jeremy heard the dog growl, to which he temporarily stopped with struggling. Had the dog just talked?

He felt how the dog started to move and Jeremy could only watch and see how the bodies of his parents got further and further away from him. New tears formed and he started to yell again.

"Maybe you should hit it. The crying will attract attention." The other dog said with a sneer, resulting in an increase in volume from Jeremy.

He felt how the dog, who was holding him, grabbed him in his sides and held him in front of it. Jeremy could look straight into the yellow eyes of the dog. He silenced and started shivering as the dog showed him his teeth, which were at least the size of his hand to his elbow. Tears rolled silently over his cheeks to which the dog chuckled.

"So you can be silent?" He joked, though Jeremy was close to wetting his pants.

A few drops even fell when another howl followed. Tears fell silently down Jeremy's cheeks as he watched how the two big dogs looked surprised at each other.

"Let. Him. Go."

Jeremy looked up, surprised to hear a raw female voice and turned his head to look behind him. In the porch was a red dog standing, breathing heavily. It was slightly smaller than the two who were kidnapping him, but its bluish eyes shined furiously. For a small second Jeremy could see a pink glimpse from somewhere in its fur.

The dog who was holding him chuckled darkly.

"I'm sorry pup." He said. "But the boss is interested in the boy."

"And who do you think you are?" The other one asked. "You're just a pup and we're with two."

The red dog growled darkly and shot without a warning at the dog next to Jeremy's captor. It tackled the black dog down and placed a paw at his throat.

"I'm not asking nicely." She growled darkly. "You've killed innocent people and I don't want to hurt more.."

Jeremy felt how the dog let go off him and he fell heavily on the ground. He crawled backwards to the wall and watched how his captor attacked the red dog. It slashed at the red dog's head and Jeremy whimpered as he saw more blood flowing. The red dog growled loudly and slashed back at the dog, giving it a gash as well. The other dog had gotten op and slashed at the red dog, which barely managed to dodge it.

The two black dogs drove the red one into a corner, attacking it relentlessly and growling dangerously, but the red dog snarled and head butted one of the dogs. The other growled in anger and slashed at the red dog, which now got a nasty slash on its arm.

"Give it up, little girl." One of the black dogs growled as the red dog went through its legs. "We're too powerful for you. You shouldn't have messed with business that you're not capable of handling."

The red dog struggled to get up, but its eyes were burning fiercely.

"I... I will protect that boy." She said slowly. "And I will not be stopped by a couple of sad chumps like you!"

Jeremy's eyes widened as the two black dogs were suddenly blasted away from the red one. He hadn't seen what had happened and it seemed that the two black dogs were as confused as he was. The red dog had gotten up and was now standing on its two hind legs, while eyeing the two black dogs with a stern gaze.

"What the..." One of the black dogs muttered.

"She must have some tricks. Let's return." The other growled.

"Tss. Then we'll kill all the witnesses." The first one growled as he turned to Jeremy.

Jeremy crawled away, his right arm being extremely painful and he was starting to feel lightheaded. The black dog wanted to kill him! Tears rolled down once more and he whimpered softly, too scared to actually scream. He saw how the black dog lunged at him, but he was surprised when the red dog intercepted him. He'd really thought that the red dog was too tired and beaten to move.

Jeremy's eyes widened even more when the red dog started to crackle with electricity as it and the black dog wrestled. With an enormous force the black wolf was thrown out of the house. More electricity crackled through the fur of the red dog as the other dog yelped in alarm. The black dog tried to get away but the red dog was too quick and managed to throw the black one after the first.

Jeremy watched in shock at how the electricity stopped and how the red dog slumped to the porch. He... He was saved. The red dog had saved him! Before the red dog reached the porch it turned its head. Jeremy looked straight into the bluish eyes of the red dog. That was the last thing he remembered before passing out.

**...**

Taranee looked shocked at the red werewolf, which was now stumbling through the wrecked door. It growled darkly at the two black wolves, who were slowly backing away. Her eyes widened as the red werewolf started to crackle with electricity and she was not the only one who was surprised. The two black ones were actually looking scared at the red one.

"You'll pay for killing innocents!" The red werewolf bellowed.

The red werewolf shot lightning at one of the black wolves, who barely managed to evade it.

"Crap! A spell wolf! Move it! Move it!" The other said shocked.

Before the two could even put their paws down, Matt, Napoleon and Huggles arrived in their Regent forms. Taranee sighed relieved when she saw them and watched silently how Matt's eyes started to glow.

"Three werewolves?" He questioned. "Doesn't matter. You all will pay!"

Taranee raised an eyebrow, wondering if Matt even knew the situation or if he was talking about something else. He also seemed to be angrier than before.

"What's this?" One of the black werewolves said surprised. "Angels and were...I don't know what they are..."

Taranee's eyes shifted temporarily to the red werewolf, who seemed to relax as well as seem slightly annoyed at the arrival of the Regents. Why would it relax?

Huggles growled and Taranee looked back at the Regents. Napoleon kept an eye on Matt, as the latter's eyes were still glowing while Huggles kept the two werewolves under control.

"We're the Regents of Earth, buddy." Napoleon grinned. "And you guys are busted!"

At this one of the black werewolves howled loudly. Taranee had to plug her ears as the sharp howl resonated through the neighbourhood. More howls were heard from a distance, resulting in having the Regents look the other way. At this the two werewolves ran, jumping on the first roof nearby and disappearing into the night. The Regents had figured out what had happened and Huggles was already chasing them. Matt, however, turned to the red werewolf.

"You. You should've left with your friends." He sneered as the red werewolf dragged itself on the front garden.

The red werewolf let a barking laugh, eyeing Matt carefully.

"I'm sorry, but those murderers are no friends of mine." It replied coolly.

"You tried to murder a dear friend of mine yesterday." Matt growled angered, his eyes glowing again.

Taranee raised an eyebrow as the red werewolf looked down, as if it was ashamed of that fact. Matt on the other hand, didn't notice the werewolf's demeanour and smashed his tail angrily at the ground.

"Let me guess. You came here after those two howled and thought you could take a bite to eat as well?" Matt scowled.

The werewolf looked up at Matt, baring its teeth.

"I came here to protect the kid and its family." The werewolf scowled. "Something you Regents should be doing."

At this Matt growled darkly as he shot a blast at the werewolf. The werewolf barely managed to dodge the attack, but it seemed to be exhausted. Taranee's eyes widened slightly as she saw a couple of currents run through the fur before they died down.

"You have no right in telling me how to do my job." Matt growled darkly. "And now I'll make sure you will never do it again."

Taranee bit her lip as Matt's eyes lit up to a point that indicated that he would shoot. She had a feeling that the werewolf was right and in the end, she followed her instincts and jumped at Matt, surprising him.

"Taranee?" He said confused, stopping his attack. "Move. That's the one who attacked Irma!"

Taranee trembled a bit as she could feel the werewolf moving behind her. She wanted to know more about it. Why had it tried to save the boy while it had attacked Irma the night before? Why was it showing remorse about the fact it had attacked Irma?

The werewolf behind her chuckled darkly.

"Well Regent." It said. "It seems that your friend won't move. Perhaps it's better if you called an ambulance for the boy."

She was sure she hurt a restrained sob in the werewolf's voice. Taranee turned around, seeing the werewolf looking seriously at her as well as Matt. Taranee thought to see a glimmer of pink light from the fur of the werewolf, but as she tried to get a better look, the werewolf disappeared in a greenish light which she recognized as teletransporting.

When she realized what the werewolf had done and said, she turned around, only to stop when Matt screamed in frustration.

"Taranee! What have you done?" He said angered. "Why did you protect that monster?"

Taranee, who was taken aback by Matt's anger, only shook her head.

"You haven't seen what I've seen Matt. There are some things I want to clear up and besides. That werewolf might've attacked Irma yesterday, but today it didn't. It even fought those two who'd attacked the family in the first place." She said resolute.

Napoleon walked up and patted Matt on the shoulder.

"I'll go and see if I can pick up her scent. Huggles will return to your house." He said calmly, a bit too calm in Taranee's opinion. "You transform back and see if you can fight the boy that werewolf was talking about."'

With that Napoleon disappeared. Taranee raised an eyebrow. She knew it was practically impossible to find someone who'd teletransported. What was Napoleon thinking? Or perhaps he had a point. His nose was stronger than hers and that werewolf should live around Heatherfield, so there could be a chance he could find it.

Taranee shook those thoughts away as she hurried to the house with the wracked door. She heard how the many doors of the neighbourhood suddenly flung open and she could hear the mutterings of the people which left their houses. It seemed that the spell, which had kept the people inside, had disappeared.

As she entered the house, her stomach churned. She saw the bodies of two acquaintances from her neighbourhood, of which the man was bleeding over the woman. She quickly turned her head away, trying to stay calm even after that scene. As she did that, her eyes caught sight of a boy. He lay on the ground with his arm bleeding and Taranee rushed over to him, hoping he wasn't dead. A sense of relief went through her as she felt a pulse and she quickly grabbed for her cell phone. The boy needed an ambulance, right now.

**...**

A bright flash suddenly lit the living room, startling Susan. The three ex-Guardians only raised an eyebrow as the light dimmed and revealed the detransformed Napoleon. He looked quickly around before groaning softly.

"Is Will here?" He asked almost desperately.

At this the four women shook their head and Susan grabbed Napoleon.

"Did anything happen to Will?" She asked, her voice telling everyone that she was panicking.

Napoleon looked almost guiltily at her when another flash of light appeared. This time the light dimmed and showed the beat-up Will, whose eyes had darkened considerably as they roamed the room. Napoleon noticed that the bleeding on her head had stopped and that the wound on her left front paw was already healed.

The three ex-Guardians took a step back when they saw Will's look, but Will didn't seem interested in them. Her eyes rested on both her mother and Napoleon and she bared her teeth with a growl.

"I hope you're happy." She scowled at the two of them. "If you hadn't stopped me, then perhaps that boy would still have his parents!"

With that she slashed angrily at a chair, which splintered under the force. Susan seemed unreasonably calm while napoleon winced under the force.

"Where were you?" Will then boomed, glaring at Napoleon in particular. "What was so difficult to teletransporting to Taranee's house?"

Napoleon winced and curled up in Susan's arms.

"Doll… You've got to understand… I had to get Matt first." He stammered.

"Why?" Will growled darkly. "To sell me out?"

At this Napoleon heavily shook his head.

"No!" He said strongly. "But Matt told us to always go together when facing a werewolf and if I'd gone alone and helped you than your identity could be endangered. And Matt didn't respond to the telepathy and was randomly searching, seeing that his hearing isn't as good as ours."

Will growled darkly and grabbed a leg of the stool she'd crushed, twisting it in her hands. Susan let go of Napoleon and slowly walked to her daughter, who was now sitting next to the crushed chair. She placed her hand on Will's shoulder, only to get a half-sobbed growl in return.

"Will?" Susan said softly.

Will looked at her mother and Susan could see the tears pearling down her snout. Her ears lay flat against her head in a sad manner and sobs accompanied with whimpers broke from her throat.

"This isn't just about not being able to save that boy's parents, right?" Susan whispered softly into Will's ear.

Will shook her head and dug into her mother's embrace, even if her size was making that difficult.

"Matt... He shot at me." She whispered hoarsely. "He sounded so angry. As if he hated me. I'm afraid of how he will react if I tell him."

Susan sighed softly and went through Will's fur, trying to calm down the distraught girl.

"You won't have to tell him now. Just wait and see, okay?" Susan said, though she was having her doubts.

She'd seen this situation many times before, where an unknowing partner of a werewolf showed a particular hatred towards them and those relationships tended to hit the cliffs.

But Matt seemed to be a reasonable young man, so perhaps Will would be spared from any heartache concerning the boy. Though Susan had the nasty feeling that Will would experience the pain of breaking a relationship.

Will just choked a bit and sobbed on until she finally fell into a sleep. Susan, who was now sitting with Will in her arms, slowly moved from underneath her. She looked sadly at her daughter before pulling a blanket from the couch and laying it over her.

"She's going to have a rough time." Kadma said sadly.

"Indeed she will." Yan Lin said with a nod. "But I'm sure she'll overcome it. We could always teach her or call for Joe..."

"That is nice of you." Susan interrupted. "But that won't be necessary."

At this the three ex-Guardians raised an eyebrow and looked confused at Susan.

"Susan, you can't possibly mean that you're going to teach her yourself?" Kadma said surprised. "With your condition..."

Susan shook her head.

"No, I won't teach her, but seeing that her father will be gone for at least two more full moons, I have taken the liberty of calling someone who can help Will." She replied with a grin.

"And you think Will will listen to a stranger?" Cassidy said with a grin.

"Oh no." Susan said, shaking her head. "She won't even listen to me. But this person is no stranger to her."

Kadma's eyes widened in realization and grinned as well.

"When will he arrive?" She asked.

"Tomorrow morning, I think." Susan replied. "I called him yesterday and after he'd asked John, he'd told me that he would come the day after the full moon."

"But...Won't he transform during that trip?" Kadma asked, slightly concerned.

"Apparently someone of that family of yours has a privet jet, so he shouldn't worry about that." Susan replied.

"Who are you two talking about?" Cassidy asked, interrupting the two women.

Kadma grinned at her friend.

"You'll meet him soon, I guess." She said. "I assume he'll sleep here?"

Susan nodded, making Kadma sigh in relief.

"Good. It's not that I wouldn't want to take him in, but the place is barely big enough for me and Joe, let alone with him as well. But John did say something about buying one big apartment where we could live in as well..." Kadma said, though she muttered the last part.

"Don't worry." Susan said reassuringly. "He's always been like a nephew to me, so I will take good care of him. And he will take care of Will, I'm sure of it."

A silence started to fill the room where Yan Lin and Cassidy looked heavily confused at the other two women. This silence kept going on until Will snorted in her sleep and turned over, resulting in making the four women look at her and getting a look at the digital clock on top of the television, which was stating that it was already well past midnight.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to head home." Yan Lin said tactfully. "I don't want to worry my son."

At this the others nodded.

"I'll go to Matt before returning to Cornelia." Napoleon said. "Don't worry, I won't tell him anything about Will. Goodnight."

With that Napoleon disappeared with a flash.

Susan walked the three women to the door and let them out. Though before Yan Lin left the apartment she reached for her pockets ad pulled out four necklaces and a letter.

"Oh. Before I forget." She said. "Give this to Will. Halinor asked me if I could give it to her, but I rather not wake her now. Not after what happened tonight."

Susan accepted the necklaces, noting that they looked awfully similar to Will's necklace, though the colours were different. She looked surprised up at Yan Lin, who only gave her a wrinkled smile.

"Good night, Susan." Yan Lin said.

As the door closed and the three ex-Guardians walked into the elevator, they couldn't help but be slightly surprised by tonight.

"Never thought that Will would be one." Yan Lin said. "She never showed any characteristics."

"Perhaps that's why Thomas kept her a secret." Kadma replied calmly. "But I trust that things will work out."

"The thing I find interesting is that her Guardian powers seem to work." Cassidy said.

At this the other two looked knowingly at each other.

"Perhaps I'll go and verify this with Kandrakar." Yan Lin said.

"Verify what?" Cassidy asked confused as she looked at Yan Lin.

As she did that, she noticed that Kadma was also looking knowingly and she moaned annoyed.

"Why is it that you guys know more than me?" She moaned annoyed.

At this Yan Lin chuckled.

"Because we are older than you." She replied, making Kadma giggle and Cassidy pout.

**...**

The moon was shining through the branches of the trees, illuminating the forest ground. Several small animals scurried away as the heavy breathing of a far much bigger creature filled the night air.

The moon beams illuminated the figures of two bowing wolves, of which one seemed to be wounded on its head.

"Where is he?"

The two black werewolves trembled a bit as the two golden eyes stared at them. One still had a wound on its head, though the bleeding had stopped.

"We...We... Failed you, master." One of them said in fear.

"What?"

The voice was raspy and dangerously angry and the two werewolves shook in fear. They kept their heads low and didn't dare to look up. A paw of another werewolf appeared in their sight and they shivered even more. Their boss was right in front of them, yet they were still alive.

"Tell me." They heard the voice growl. "How come you couldn't manage to take a ten year old boy with you? Did it bite you? Mmm?"

The one with the head wound received another slap across its face, making him whine in pain.

"Did the little brat give you that wound?" Their boss hissed.

The wolves shook their heads.

"No...No master." The other one said hastily. "Another werewolf interfered."

They heard that that the breathing of their boss calmed down, yet they didn't risk to look up.

"Another werewolf?" Their boss said calmly. "Do you know who it was?"

"No sir." The one with the wound said. "It was the first time we saw her."

"How did she look like?" Their boss inquired.

"Red fur... Uhm... As big as a grown wolf. So I guess we were fighting an adult." The other said.

"Yes!" The one with the wound said with a nod. "She was brutal, feral even. I think she forgot to drink the potion somewhere in the day. And I had had a tough day at work so I wasn't fit either."

"And she smashed the house, creating a lot of obstacles." The other one added.

Their boss growled deeply and the two shivered again.

"Get out of my sight." He growled. "I have to ponder about this new werewolf. She may not interfere with our plans."

The two turned tail and ran away. When they were at a safe distance they looked behind them.

"We survived." One said.

"Yeah, but I will never go and fight that bitch." The one with the wound said. "She's way too dangerous."

"On that we agree brother." The other said. "On that we agree."

**...**

Sunlight slowly filtered into the room, gently shining on the red hair of Will. The girl in question turned around in her sleep, mumbling sleepily while groggily grabbing the blanket which lay on her legs.

Susan entered softly, looking sadly at her daughter. She'd been through so much in just two nights and Susan knew that she would go through so much more.

She saw Will's attempts of grabbing the blanket and decided to help her, pulling the blanket over her shoulders.

The gesture woke Will and she slowly opened her eyes, immediately squinting them to protect herself from the harsh light.

"Mom?" She said groggily.

She immediately made a face when the scent of Wolf Bane entered her nose. She looked up but sighed in relief that her mother was not holding a damping mug of the stuff.

"Yeah, I'll open a window." Her mother said after seeing Will's expression.

Will groaned softly as she heaved herself up, rubbing her eyes. When her blanket fell down, Will realized she was naked and immediately after, the memories of the night before entered her mind.

New tears formed in her eyes and she pulled her knees up, hugging them. Her mother had seen her sitting and she felt once more the embrace of her mother.

"Shh." She said. "It's okay."

Will sobbed softly, trying to push the memories away.

"You saved a little kid." Susan whispered reassuringly. "Things will turn out okay. Just give them time."

Will nodded and was glad her mother understood her. It had been years since the last time she had such an understanding with her mother. The embrace continued for some time until Will's stomach growled, involuntarily making Will laugh.

Susan smiled when she'd heard Will laugh, even if it sounded strained.

"Come on." She said. "Go shower and dress yourself. I'll make you breakfast."

Will nodded numbly and got up, leaving the blanket on the ground. She calmly made her way to the shower, making a detour to her own room to at least get some clothing. As she'd walked through the living room to her room, she noticed that the chair, which she'd broken yesterday, had been cleaned away and a small sense of guilt filled her. She should probably apologize for it to her mother.

Will went to the bathroom and let the water fall. The drips hit her body hard, but it relaxed her. Memories of yesterday kept repeating in her mind, but slowly she managed to convince herself that, when she decided to tell Matt and the girls about her 'special condition', things would go better and they would understand. She was sure of it. And besides, she'd saved a child, so perhaps they would take that into consideration.

With a lighter heart she exited the shower and dried herself. During which the scent of pancakes wafted through the cracks of the door and to her nose. A smile formed on her lips and she wiped some tears away which had formed during showering.

"Oh yes, Will." She heard her mother call. "Yan Lin left you some necklaces and a letter. I've put them on the breakfast table."

Will raised an eyebrow, wondering what Yan Lin would have left and dressed herself quickly. She left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen, where she found a big surprise. On the table lay four copies of the Heart of Kandrakar, only in the different colours of yellow, orange, silver and blue. A letter and a plate with pancakes lay next to them and Will reached towards it with trembling hands.

Her mother had noted the surprise on Will's face and saw how anxiety took place in her daughter. She wondered what could scare Will so and she peeked over her daughter's shoulder as the latter tried to open the letter with slightly trembling hands.

Right before Will opened the letter, knocking was heard, startling the two women. Will looked shocked at her mother, who only raised an eyebrow.

Susan walked to the stove, grabbing the pancakes and placing them already on the table. She then walked towards the door as another knock sounded through the apartment.

"If it's Matt, tell him I'm not feeling well enough to see him now." Will whispered fiercely, to which Susan nodded in affirmation.

Susan opened the door and a smile graced her face.

"You are early." She said happily. "She'll be glad to see you now."

Will looked surprised at her mother and seeing that the unknown person had yet to enter, she gave in to her curiosity and walked to the door, peeking over her mother's shoulder. As she lay eyes on the person in front of the door, her mouth fell open and and smile graced her face. Susan, aware of Will standing behind her, made way and showed a boy around 17 years old standing in front of the door. He was African American, with black hair in dreads and soft brown eyes. A grin was plastered on his face. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans with white sneakers and a red shirt. Around his neck was a golden chain with a crystal moon hanging from it. Two big suitcases were standing next to him.

When the boy got a good look at Will his eyes temporarily flashed green, just like Will's eyes temporarily flashed bluish white. He then grinned at her and waved.

"Hey Will." He said.

Will jumped at the boy and hugged him tightly.

"Angelo!"

_**[A/N] That was it folks! Now a few things.  
1. During Jeremy's POV you see the word 'dog' instead of 'werewolf' or 'wolf'. That's because Jeremy has never seen a wolf before and he really doesn't think of werewolves. So they are dogs.**_

_**2. The story those two black werewolves told to their boss… It seems like a big lie, right? Well, they were protecting their own self-image with that story as well as their own hides. But because they said it with such conviction, they really believe it in the end. This is rather normal. Check it yourself. You'll be surprised how many times such a thing happens.**_

_**3. Susan's condition… What does that mean? I know, but perhaps you guys have a feeling?**_

_**4. One of the black wolves said bitch as he referred to Will, but this is not meant as an offensive term, but as in female dog. Just to make that clear.**_

_**5. I'd like to thank Lexvan for allowing me to use his characters and giving me ideas for the next chapters and chapters in the future.**_

_**6. As far as I know, there are 2 night with a full moon which can cause a transformation, though sometimes there is a third night as well. But you guys can guess that the month of August only has 2 'real' full moon nights, right? In other words, not every month Will will go through the trouble of transforming thrice. Just certain months, depends on if I want to have a lot of things happen during full moon or not.**_

_**Review!**_


	4. Chapter 4 Hunters, Rogues and Jealousy

_**[A/N] Now I know that I said only once a month, but seeing that this was initially a Halloween story, I thought I pamper you guys a bit more. :D**_

**Chapter 4 Hunters, Rogues and Jealousy**

"Angelo!"

Susan looked happily at her daughter, who now happily hugged a boy she hadn't seen for a full year. She noticed that Will was using all her strength to hug Angelo and grinned when the boy showed signs of suffocation. At that point Will released him, though she kept smiling at him with tears in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, happily.

Angelo grinned and shrugged.

"Well, your mom started panicking on the phone and asked if I could come and teach you a lesson. And when Uncle John gave the green light I rushed to here." He said cockily.

Will raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and staring him down. Angelo grinned awkwardly and looked at Susan in the hope of some help, but when he saw that she too had a death glare on her face, he snickered awkwardly.

"What were you saying, boy?" Susan said calmly, though her eyes were shooting fire.

"I... I meant.. Uhm... I'm here to help Will with her furry problem." He said nervously. "After...After you asked me."

At this Susan nodded calmly, though Will gasped as her eyes widened.

"You...You mean...You're a...?" She said, not even being capable of finishing the sentence.

At first Angelo looked a bit confused at her before he realized what she was trying to say.

"What? Didn't your mother tell about me?" He asked surprised.

At this Will turned to her mother, glaring darkly. Susan merely shrugged.

"I would have told you if those things hadn't happened yesterday." She said calmly.

Angelo looked slightly confused, seeing that Will slumped a bit while her mother eyed them a bit concerned.

"So, am I allowed to go inside?" He asked, trying to lighten the sudden dark mood.

At this both Vandom women nodded and Will helped moving one of Angelo's suitcases, to which she noticed went very easily. She'd thought that it would have been extremely heavy, yet moving it wasn't problematic at all.

The suitcases were dumped in the living room and Will crawled on the couch, taking the blanket she slept under last night and wrapped it around her. Angelo went to sit next to her and she eyed him suspiciously. Angelo was even sure he felt some territorial hostility towards him, but with another grin the feeling disappeared.

"But if you're a werewolf, how come I didn't notice it last year when we went to visit you guys during the summer holidays?" Will then asked.

At this Angelo grinned.

"That's because during the nights of the full moon, you were fast asleep." Angelo explained. "Plus, me and my other family members who are werewolves were really quiet as we snuck into the woods near the ranch."

"So you're not the only one?" Will asked surprised.

At this Angelo shook his head.

"Nope. Pretty much everyone is one, though grandma is one of the few who isn't one and has no desire to become one." He said.

"When did you turn?" Will then asked, her heart feeling lighter with every second Angelo was there.

"At the same age as you, 16 years and 7 months." He said calmly. "Though I had Uncle John there for me to knock me out during my first transformation. Albeit I did eat some rabbits first."

Will looked surprised at him. He was talking so calmly about it, as if it were nothing but a minor flu. Yet she felt as if another dark secret had been laid upon her.

"So how were your first two nights?" Angelo asked simply, obviously thinking that something similar had happened to Will.

Will hugged her knees and looked depressed at the television, which was turned off, and Angelo immediately noticed that he'd said something wrong.

"Will?" He asked as he reached for Will's shoulder.

Will sighed loudly and faked a smile at him. He could see the tears in her eyes and he regretted asking.

"I first went and completely obliterated a battery cage, eating a lot of its chickens, and then I went and attacked one of my dearest friends." She said through sobs.

Angelo bit his lip and looked guilty at Will.

"Did she bleed before your transformation?" He asked carefully, making Will nod sadly.

"But your second night must have been better, right?" He asked, though he could see it in her eyes that he'd said something wrong once more. "I mean... You did drink the Wolf Bane potion, right?"

Will nodded slowly, but tears had already started leaking from her eyes.

"Yes, I drank it." She said through sobs. "But... But..."

She grabbed Angelo and crawled into him, sobbing loudly. Angelo shot a glance at Susan, who looked sadly at Will. When she caught his look she sighed.

"A rogue pack, or at least two rogue werewolves attacked a family near another friend of hers." She explained. "Will thought that the werewolves had gone after her friend, but when she arrived she found that another family had been attacked. The only survivor was a little boy, who only survived because she managed to intervene."

Angelo listened surprised and took the liberty of hugging Will closer. He'd never thought she'd run into a rogue pack so soon. He had never seen one before, yet Will fought two on her second night.

"This is not just about the boy, is it?" He then said. "Is that friend of yours a Guardian as well?"

Will immediately pulled back while both she and her mother gasped loudly. Her eyes were big and a dangerous glance shined in her eyes, signalling Angelo that he had to have one good answer or things would get dangerous.

"How?" Susan asked surprised.

"Well..." Angelo said. "My grandmother is the former Earth Guardian, so I've heard a lot of stories from her side..."

"Kadma is your grandmother?" Will said shocked, her glare disappearing and making way for relief.

Angelo nodded.

"And she told about me?" Will asked, sounding hurt.

At this Angelo shook his head.

"Nope." He said. "But she did describe how the Heart of Kandrakar looked like."

With that he grabbed for the chain around Will's neck and gently pulled the gem from under her shirt. He grinned as she flushed.

"And I'd seen the four necklaces which resembled this one when I entered." He finished.

Will flushed even more and grabbed the Heart from his fingers. Angelo's smile fell as he saw her looking darkly.

"Well, to be honest. I now really wished I'd never became a Guardian." Will mumbled darkly.

Angelo looked concerned at Will, who only looked darkly at the Heart.

"Why?" Angelo asked carefully.

Will's eyes immediately turned to him and Angelo saw a flash of hatred.

"Why?" Will echoed angered. "Because without it, I would have been a normal girl… Well, before turning into a werewolf! And then my boyfriend wouldn't have powers! And then I would have never seen him last night and he wouldn't have attacked me!"

"Wait what?" Angelo said surprised as Will roughly wiped her tears away.

Will looked darkly at the ground as she pulled her shoulders up to her ears.

"He is a Regent of the Heart of Earth." She muttered softly. "At first I thought that was a good idea, seeing that that way he wouldn't be in danger whenever he had the urge to follow me. But now…"

"Will… I didn't know." Angelo said softly.

Will took a deep breath and shook her head with a sad smile.

"It doesn't matter." She said, faking a grin. "He didn't know and perhaps things will turn out for the better."

Angelo shot a sideway glance at Susan, who only shook her head slightly. He nodded in response and grinned at Will.

"At least you had an eventful first moon." He joked, making Will reply with a raspberry.

"Very nice." She said. "So, how long will you be staying here?"

"Well, I dunno." Angelo replied. "I mean, I'm staying here for as long as you need help with your new abilities. Perhaps longer."

Will sighed.

"Well, at least someone helps me." She said. "I mean, I get that I have heightened hearing and sense of smell, but my temper and the growling accompanied with it is kinda annoying."

Angelo laughed.

"I hear you." He said. "But in the end, it's all about focus. In the beginning it'll be difficult, but in time you'll gain control."

Will sighed annoyed.

"Why can't dad help me? I mean, he's one, isn't he?" She said. "And what about Serena? I mean, does she know or what?"

Angelo looked confused at Susan, who shook her head.

"Serena… Is a special case." Susan said, eyeing Angelo a bit warily. "But your dad is at the moment in Scotland."

"What is he doing over there?" Will asked surprised.

"Well, every year there is this big meeting between all of the werewolf clans." Angelo explained. "They settle feuds and discuss threats to our kind. My family is there as well."

He saw Will wanted to ask something but he shook his head.

"The reason I'm not there is because I had a big exam before the first moon and couldn't skip it, if that's what you wanted to ask." He said, getting a huff from Will.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't want to ask that, but thanks anyway." She said with a grin. "I wanted to ask about the threats."

"Yeah…Those." Angelo said, scratching his head. "Well, you met one sort."

Will looked surprised.

"You mean those werewolves of last night?" She asked.

Angelo nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "Those guys must be from a rogue pack."

"And that means?" Will asked impatiently.

"A rogue pack exists of werewolves who were either exiled by their clan or who left by themselves." Susan explained. "These werewolves hunt humans for either food or to turn them into new werewolves."

"They also prefer werewolves who just recently turned. That way they can convince them to join their cause." Angelo added.

"So they hunt werewolves like me?" Will asked, sounding slightly scared. "Why and how?"

"Those guys want to overthrow the two leading clans, because they think that we've weakened over the decades." Angelo said. "But they're wrong. We only turn people when they marry into the family and want to turn."

"But how do they find other werewolves?" Will asked confused. "I mean, I didn't know you were one."

"Werewolves can sniff each other out." Susan said. " If they'd picked up your scent when you were a human and if you would pass them again, they would notice the difference and easily think that you're a new werewolf. You should be capable off smelling other werewolves as well, but perhaps it's because you're just new that you don't know it yet."

Will raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply. She wondered if she could truly smell the difference between a werewolf and a human. She put some locks of hair behind her right ear as she pondered about the new information.

"Will, what happened to your ear?" Angelo said as he reached for her ear.

Will instinctively grabbed it, protecting and hiding it from Angelo. Angelo continued and slowly took her head away from her ear. He could see a small hole in the top of her ear shell and as he slowly touched it, she winced. He could see that it was still in a healing process and he looked concerned at Will. She took her head away from his hand and gently rubbed it.

"The father of a friend of mine shot me. He's a cop." Will replied, making Angelo sigh in relief.

"I'm glad he wasn't a Hunter." Angelo said relieved.

Will's eyes widened in shock and looked at him. Angelo noticed her surprise and looked a bit guiltily.

"Hunter?" Will asked. "Please don't tell me that those guys hunt werewolves for a living, right?"

"Not a living…no." Angelo said carefully. "But they do actively search for us."

Will groaned loudly and placed her head in a pillow. Angelo patted her head, to which he could hear Will growl lightly, making him grin. Will pulled her head out of the pillow and looked at Angelo.

"So… What are Hunters exactly?" She asked.

"Hunters are regular humans who are trained to kill us and usually work in teams." Angelo said.

"Great." Will said sarcastically. "And let me guess, they know our weaknesses?"

At this both Angelo and Susan nodded.

"Yes." Susan said. "They know that silver and wolf bane are very efficient against werewolves."

"They could be everywhere." Angelo added. "They could be your janitor, your teacher you name it."

Will slumped in the seat and sighed darkly.

"Why don't you just shoot me now." She sighed darkly.

Angelo saw Will's mood and gently shook her.

"Don't worry. They follow a code." He said, calming Will for a bit.

Will looked up and stared surprised at Angelo, who grinned encouragingly.

"They only hunt werewolves who've repeatedly attacked humans and they only attack us when we're transformed." He said, getting a nod from Susan.

"That's a relief." Will said with a sigh. "Seeing that my 'hunt humans count' is currently 1."

"Don't worry Will." Susan said calmly. "Now that Angelo's here, you two can go to the forest nearby. Transforming there won't attract any unwanted attention."

"And there I can train you with your new abilities." Angelo added with a strong nod.

Will yawned, but grinned afterwards.

"That's one relief." She said happily. "So…I have to keep an eye out for Hunters and Rogue Packs. Anything else?"

"Well, you can eat all sorts of meat at different ways, though you might have noticed that when you're a wolf you prefer raw meat over cooked." Angelo added, getting a nod from Will. "And you might have a preference. I myself like rabbits above other meat."

"I don't know…" Will said slowly, but her mother interrupted quickly.

"Oh I think you do know." She said with a knowing grin.

Will thought for a few moments and then groaned slightly.

"I have a thing for chicken, don't I?" She asked, getting a laugh from both Angelo and Susan.

"At least it's easy to get." Angelo said with a grin, getting a pillow to his head thrown by Will. "Hey! Easy with the strength!"

Will blew another raspberry at him before she almost sighed discouraged.

"Farmers watch out, because there is a new menace in town." She said sarcastically.

Angelo wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry Will." He said. "I'll help you and I'm sure that when your dad's back, he'll help you as well."

Will smiled relieved and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks." She said.

Susan smiled at the two. Angelo was already calming her down. She'd hoped he would and luckily he hadn't failed to confirm her hopes. As her eyes roamed the two teenagers another thought came up. Not only did she now have two teenagers, who had to eat a lot to grow a lot, in her house, but these two were werewolves to boot, which meant they ate twice as much a regular teenager would do.

"I think I'm going to the store." Susan said as she got up from her chair. "With the two of you here, I'll need to cook a lot."

Will raised her head from Angelo's shoulder and looked confused.

"But it's Sunday." She said.

Susan, who was already searching for her keys, looked up with a grin.

"Well, due to the inconvenience that the shops had caused because of their strikes, they decided to open up for today. Which is a lot of luck if you ask me." She replied.

"Oh." Will replied, when she remembered about the letter laying in the kitchen. "Oh mom? Could you give me the letter and the necklaces before you go?"

A snicker came from Susan and she handed the letter as well as the necklaces to Will.

"Being a bit lazy, aren't we?" She teased.

"I've got my rights!" Will returned, getting a laugh out of her mother and a snicker from Angelo.

"Oh yeah, miss V." Angelo said, rummaging in one of his pockets. "Uncle John wanted me to give you this."

He held out a credit card, to the surprise of both Will and Susan.

"Uncle John has an account that you can use to buy food and help pay any bills you guys may have. As well as buy clothes for Will. To which I suggest that you do what I do on the full moon nights." He said.

Will closed her eyes and placed her hands in a begging fashion.

"Please don't say 'Sleep naked.'" She chanted. "Please don't -"

Angelo grinned.

"How'd you guess?" He said, poking Will as the latter groaned loudly. "Hey, it's either that or rip out of your clothing every month. And people will notice if you keep buying clothes every month."

"But I don't want to wake up butt naked in a forest!" Will moaned loudly.

"Yeah, choices are difficult, aren't they?" Angelo said as Will only blushed.

"Don't get any ideas." She told him. "I've got a boyfriend."

Angelo grinned and shook his head.

"I'll be good." He said innocently.

As Will shot him a suspicious glare, Susan shook her head.

"With that, I'm off." She said. "By the way, what's the code number of the card?"

"My birthday." Angelo replied, while keeping an eye on Will in case of another pillow attack.

"Works for me." Susan said. "Now don't break down the house while I'm gone. I know who to blame."

"Later!" Angelo and Will said as Susan closed the door behind her.

Right then the attention went from the door to the letter in Will's hand. The two of them looked questioningly at each other.

"So... What's in the letter?" Angelo asked curious.

Will shrugged.

"Dunno." She replied. "You came in before I could read it."

"Then open that baby and read it!" Angelo said as he poked Will again.

"Okay! Okay!" She said with a grin as she opened the letter.

Angelo watched Will's reaction and he saw her going from shock, to a relieved sigh, yet he could see it bothered her a bit.

"So?" He asked. "What does it say?"

Will sighed a bit and closed the letter.

"It's a letter from the Oracle." She said. "He tells me that I shouldn't worry about my condition and that I'm still the Keeper of the Heart."

"But?" Angelo said, knowing that this wasn't everything.

"But, seeing that I can't transform the girls as long as I haven't told them about my condition, it's dangerous for them. That's why he gave me these four necklaces. They can transform on their own with it." Will finished as she held up the four necklaces.

Each of them had a different colour and Angelo noted that they were only slightly smaller than the real thing.

"That's a good thing, right?" He asked, not sure why Will was this down. "I mean, now they can protect themselves from rogues and such."

"Or hunt us." Will said dully.

At this Angelo gulped. He'd not thought of that possibility.

"And you know what?" Will continued. "That's not even the part that makes me feel uneasy."

"What do you mean?" Angelo said, becoming confused once more.

Will bit her lip and looked at the four necklaces as she took her own and compared it with them.

"Well." She said. "For a full year, I wasn't capable of doing anything but closing and opening portals and transforming all of us."

"And with this the girls can transform themselves and you're afraid they will leave you for it?" Angelo finished, sounding surprised.

Will gave a faint laugh.

"You always knew what I thought." She said sadly.

Angelo shook his head and wrapped an arm around Will's shoulder. Will looked at him and saw a playful glimmer in his eyes. Before she could retreat she felt how Angelo wrapped his arm stronger around her head and how he placed his fist on her head, rubbing roughly.

"You dummy." He said as Will tried to get out of his grip. "They're your friends! I'm sure they won't do that."

Will got out of his grip and punched him, in her own opinion, softly on his shoulder. Angelo winced a bit and Will got the hint that she'd used too much strength, though Angelo didn't say it. He just grinned.

"Thanks." She said, implying that he didn't start her lessons, as well as lightening her heart.

"Hey, that's what friends are for." Angelo said with a shrug. "And you can do something in return for me."

Will raised her eyebrow.

"And that is?"

"Tell me where the bathroom is!" Angelo said as he jumped off the couch. "Cause I gotta go!"

Will started laughing, while Angelo grinned a bit stupidly as he started hopping from one leg to the other.

"Will... Please?" He said, trying to stop Will from enjoying his position.

"Ha.. It's down the hall, first door on the left." She said, chuckling as Angelo sped away.

Angelo entered the bathroom and handled his business. As he started washing his hands, he noticed a small drop of blood laying in front of the sink. He sighed a bit darkly.

'To think Will would be a wolf as well.' He thought. 'I wonder what her clan is. Must be a clan who holds strength, cause her punches aren't light!'

His gaze then fell again on the drop of blood.

'She did go through a lot for her first two nights.' He thought darkly. 'But I'll help her get control over her abilities. Now here's hoping she's a quick learner, cause we only have about 28 days before the full moon of September sets in. But at least I can protect her from any rogues, and knowing my luck, she'll do the same for me.'

With a grin he dried his hands and went back to the living room.

"Hey Will, how about I treat you to pizza tonight? Then you can show me a bit around town as well..." He said before seeing that Will had fallen asleep, sitting straight up in the couch.

He grinned and tried to lay her down on a pillow. Will, however, seemed to be stubborn, even in her sleep, and ended up laying her head on Angelo's shoulder. He shook his head and pulled the blanket a bit over her shoulders. Will curled against him and he sighed.

"Sleep well." He said. "Cause I have the feeling you need it."

He yawned loudly and saw it was only 10 A.M.

'A little nap wouldn't be too bad.' He thought as he finally felt the effects of the jetlag hitting him.

**...**

Susan couldn't really believe it. It had taken her three hours to go shopping. She'd been to three different stores to get everything she needed, seeing that the shops were already plundered, or being plundered, by other people who were apparently afraid to starve.

'Perhaps I'll go and join the kids if they raid a chicken coop.' Susan thought grudgingly. 'It's a lot quicker and cheaper.'

She managed to carry the multiple bags up the stairs, as the elevator was already in use. As she placed them in front of her door to search for her keys, the elevator pinged and opened. Susan looked up to see that Will's friends, including Matt, had been using the elevator. Once they saw her they waved.

"Hey Mrs. Vandom." Irma said with a grin.

Susan waved back and grinned. Perhaps Will could see the girls now. And hopefully they wouldn't bring up the situation of last night.

"Hi girls, Matt." She said.

"Shall I help you with the bags?" Matt offered as he already went to take some.

"Thank you, Matt." Susan said with a smile.

"Wow. You did a lot of shopping for a Sunday." Cornelia noted.

Susan sighed. They were pretty sharp for their age.

"Well, Will and I have a guest staying, so a little bit more food wouldn't hurt." She said as she finally found her key.

"Guest?" Hay Lin asked.

"Yup. He's the nephew of a friend of mine from Fadden Hills." She said with a grin.

"A nephew, huh?" Irma said with a wolfish grin, making Susan wonder if the girl had some ties to werewolves. "Is he cute?"

This made the other girls, as well as Matt, look at Irma, who only shrugged in return.

"A girl can ask." She defended.

Susan laughed and shook her head. She turned the key and opened the door.

"Judge yourself." She said as she took the remaining bags. "He and Will have been friends since she was four."

"That's long!" Hay Lin said in awe.

The door opened and everyone could see that Will was sleeping on the couch next to a boy her age. Seeing this made Matt instantly glare at the boy. His glare even intensified when he saw that Will had curled up beside him with her head on his shoulder, while the boy's head lay on top of Will's.

"Mmm. The jetlag must have gotten him." Susan said as she made her way to the kitchen. "Matt, you can place those bags here."

Matt followed Susan, while his glare was still levelled at the sleeping form of the boy. The girls took a chair and looked at the two sleeping. They noticed that Will's right hand was holding a letter but the other hand was concealed by the blanket.

"So, this is their guest, huh?" Cornelia said while eyeing the boy carefully.

"And he's cute!" Irma said as she made a happy dance.

"Is that all you can think of?" Taranee asked annoyed.

Irma stopped her little dance and looked innocently at Taranee.

"No..." She said slowly, before a grin formed on her lips. "I wonder if he's single as well."

At this Cornelia and Taranee groaned, while Hay Lin was looking intensely at the boy.

"I wonder why he looks familiar." She said confused. "I just can't place it."

"Perhaps from 'Hotty magazine'?" Irma said with a grin, getting even more groans from Taranee and Cornelia.

Hay Lin shook her head, not even knowing that Irma was joking.

"I know him..." She said with a pained expression as her face was now close to Angelo's.

At this Susan came into the living room, with Matt close behind her.

"Still asleep, are they?" She said, getting a nod from Irma, Taranee and Cornelia.

Susan leaned over the couch and saw how Hay Lin was getting a close look at Angelo. Perhaps a bit too close, but that was not for her to decide.

"Wake up you two!" Susan said.

At this both Will and Angelo woke up, resulting in Will hitting her head against Angelo's and making them rub their heads in pain as Will slowly took her head away from Angelo. Angelo then opened his eyes again, only to see Hay Lin's face not an inch away from his.

"Whoa!" He said as he shocked back.

Hay Lin was still looking confused at him. She didn't react to his surprise and Taranee was almost sure that Hay Lin had fallen in a sort of trance.

The others, however, were laughing at the shocked faces of the two while Will couldn't hold her laughter when she'd seen that Angelo had been scared by Hay Lin.

"That's one way to wake up." Susan said through the laughter.

"How long are you guys here?" Will asked when the laughter calmed down.

"Just a few minutes." Hay Lin said as she took a chair, apparently out of her trance.

"We ran into your mom just when she wanted to enter." Cornelia added.

"Will, why don't you introduce Angelo while I go and get something to drink and some snacks, as well as place the groceries in the cupboards?" Susan said as she went to the kitchen.

"Oh yeah!" Will said. "Guys, may I introduce you to Angelo. He's my best friend from Fadden Hills. Angelo, these are Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, Hay Lin, Irma Lair and Matt Olsen."

Angelo shot a questioning glance at Will while Taranee, Cornelia, Irma and Matt didn't feel well about Angelo. That 'best friend' comment did nag a bit. Will saw Angelo looking and nodded.

"Yeah, they are the other Guardians." Will added, making the girls and Matt gasp in shock.

"Will!" Cornelia said angered. "What are you doing?!"

Before things worsened, Angelo held up his hands.

"Whoa, calm down!" He said. "My grandma is Kadma. And when I entered I saw the necklace! Will didn't tell me a thing!"

"Kadma's your grandmother?" Taranee asked interested. "I didn't know she could manage with her life on Zamballa."

"By that time her children were old enough to stand on their own legs." Angelo said as he waved that away. "But whenever there was a portal she would come by."

A short and awkward silence fell in which Taranee, Cornelia and Irma looked awkwardly at each other, when Hay Lin broke the silence.

"Mrs. Vandom told us that the two of you have been friends since you were four." Hay Lin said, getting a grin from Will and Angelo.

"Sure have!" Will said with a grin as she grabbed Angelo's arm. "We had a lot of fun growing up together."

"From broken limbs to getting sick together!" Angelo added, smiling as well. "And the sleepovers."

"Remember that time when my mom and Uncle John totally freaked?" Will said with a big grin.

"Oh yeah!" Angelo said, laughing a bit at the memory. "They found us together in the bathtub, taking a bath together!"

At this, Matt looked alarmed as well as the others. None of them, except perhaps for Hay Lin, had been liking the fact that Will and Angelo were reminiscing about the past. It made them feel uncomfortable. As if they were nothing to Will now that Angelo was there.

"You took a bath together?" Matt sputtered shocked.

Will waved it away, not surprised about her boyfriend's reaction.

"Relax Matt," She said. "We were five at the time. Nothing to worry about."

Matt didn't seem to relax at all and kept giving Angelo suspicious looks, who merely shrugged them off.

"Talking about bathrooms, I've got to use it." Angelo said, pulling away from Will and walking away. "See you in a bit."

The moment they heard the door of the bathroom closing, all eyes went to Will, who immediately became self-conscious. She twirled one long lock of hair as she looked at her friends.

"What?" She asked.

"After all that happened last night and the night before, you two go and let a random guy sleep here?" Taranee said exasperated.

"Random guy?" Will said, slightly angered. "That random guy happens to be my best friend!"

Again Taranee, Irma and Cornelia cringed a bit as Will said that, though she did not notice it.

"Why was he here again?" Matt asked, slightly sour.

"His uncle is abroad due to some business." Will explained. "And mom and I took him in."

"Awwww!" Hay Lin cooed. "That's so sweet!"

At this the others gave her a subtle glare, to which Hay Lin merely shrugged.

"What?" She said nonchalantly. "It is!"

"Doesn't he have any other relatives he could stay with?" Matt asked. "I mean, Kadma has a house, doesn't she?"

Will shrugged.

"I don't know. According to Yan Lin, Kadma's house is rather small. And the rest of Angelo's relatives either live too far away, or don't have enough room for him. And you don't hear me complain. It's nice to see him again." She replied with a grin at the end.

"I bet." Matt grumbled softly, but thanks to her heightened hearing, Will did hear it.

Footsteps echoed through the hallway, announcing Angelo's return. Will saw a flash of hidden anger in Matt's eyes and involuntarily thought of what had happened last night, giving her a slight shiver. Matt got up and went to sit next to Will, to which Will unconsciously moved a bit out of the way. However, Matt didn't notice it.

Angelo came walking in, and he saw that Matt had taken his spot. Seeing Angelo looking, Matt placed an arm around Will, to which Will looked slightly scared, which only Angelo noticed. Only when Matt turned his gaze to Will, and she saw his loving eyes instead of the hard ones which were reserved for Angelo, she relaxed and crawled next to him, creating an open space next to her. Taranee, seeing that there was a space, got up and took it, preventing Angelo from sitting near Will again.

Angelo merely shrugged and sat on the chair next to his suitcases, as well as Hay Lin.

Hay Lin had once again levelled a stare at him, to which Angelo felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Angelo asked carefully.

Hay Lin only nodded absent-mindedly, giving Angelo the chills. The others recognized Hay Lin's behaviour and grinned as Hay Lin kept looked attentively at Angelo.

"You look familiar." Hay Lin muttered, making Angelo a little more scared.

"Uhm...Okaaaay?" He said hesitantly, looking at Will for help.

Will was holding her laughter while Matt smirked. Angelo looked around for help, but saw a lot of smirks which told him he was standing alone. He sighed in defeat, to which Irma finally spoke up.

"Don't worry Angelo." She said with a grin. "If you ask me, the whole Lin-family is a bit weird."

This made Hay Lin stop her gaze on Angelo and glare at Irma, who was now laughing at her own joke. Hay Lin grabbed a pillow from behind her and threw it at Irma.

"Not funny! My family is not weird!"

"So you're saying that your grandmother is not weird for playing bingo with someone in Kandrakar and drinking tea when the world is in danger?" Will said with a grin.

"Or your father, who calls you every 5 minutes if you go to a midnight movie?" Cornelia added with a smile.

Hay Lin seemed at a loss for words, and only glared at her friends, who were now chuckling like crazy. Only Angelo didn't react, for he was deep in thought.

"Lin... No way that you're family of Jun Lin?" Angelo suddenly said, making Hay Lin gasp.

"How do you know?" Hay Lin said surprised, making everyone stop with laughing. "She's my aunt!"

Angelo grinned and crossed his arms.

"Well, she's going to marry my uncle." He said with a cocky grin.

At this Hay Lin facepalmed.

"That's where I've seen you! On the picture my aunt sent!" She said happily. "I can't believe I'm meeting my soon-to-be cousin!"

With that she rushed from her chair and hugged Angelo happily. As this happened, Cornelia, Taranee and Matt looked incredulously while Will shook her head. Irma sighed and pulled Hay Lin off of Angelo, giving the boy some space to breathe.

"I'm glad uncle John found someone." Will said as Angelo was catching his breath. "So when's the wedding?"

"In a few months, after they settled some things abroad." Angelo said with a grin, to which Will only shook her head.

At that point, Mrs. Vandom came in, holding a tray with eight glasses of ice-tea and a bowl of cookies. She placed it on the low table in front of the couch and took the only remaining chair. The kids, who voiced their thanks as they took the ice-tea and cookies, all silently enjoying their drinks. Susan looked silently around and decided to voice her question, which had been in her head ever since Angelo had gone to the bathroom.

"So, Taranee." She said calmly and getting everyone's attention. "You said something about that something happened yesterday evening. Could you tell us what? Because Will did not get a telepathic message from you."

Taranee looked shocked at Mrs. Vandom, who noticed that Taranee rather did not speak of it in Angelo's presence. Mrs. Vandom waved her hand calmly.

"Don't worry. We've brought Angelo up to date in case the werewolf would show up at our house." She said calmly. "Now tell us."

"Wait, you didn't send a message to Will?" Hay Lin piped up surprised.

Everyone looked at Taranee, who scratched the back of her head and shook her head.

"No, because I didn't want Will to worry, or to inflict another headache." She said, giving Will an apologizing glance.

Will nodded with a smile and gestured for Taranee to continue. Taranee shot a sideway glance to Irma and Cornelia, who both nodded, and a suspicious glance at Angelo. She then sighed and looked at her glass of ice-tea.

"Well, I saw the werewolf who attacked Irma yesterday night." Taranee said carefully.

Will's eyes widened in shock, to which Taranee could only guess that she was concerned. She also noted how Angelo looked from Irma to Will, before nodding seriously. She honestly wondered what Will and her mother had told Angelo.

"Did...Did it attack you?" Mrs. Vandom said, giving a side-way glance to Will.

Taranee shook her head.

"N-No." She said. "It ran past me."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask that." Irma suddenly said. "Didn't it see you or what?"

Again Taranee shook her head.

"No. It did see me." She said. "We looked at each other for mere moments before it continued running."

A silence fell in the room. Angelo looked around, but no one seemed to ask more. He didn't understand why, nor did he not understand what was so important about that news.

"So... What did it do?" He finally asked, getting Taranee's attention.

Taranee bit her lip and sought guidance in Will, who looked at her with almost dreary eyes. When Will noticed Taranee, she nodded slowly, and a new light started to shine in her eyes. As if she was hoping for something.

"Earlier that night, a couple of werewolves attacked a house in my neighbourhood. I went to check it, but when I came out of my house, I noticed that no one else could open their doors." Taranee explained. "And as I was on my way to that house, that red werewolf sprinted by. I ran after it when I saw that the door of a certain house lay on the street. But before I reached it I saw how a black werewolf was thrown out, followed by another. The red werewolf staggered out of the house, wounded, and it growled something about killing innocents and that those two would pay."

"I arrived around that time and another howl echoed through the street, which made me look away. When I turned around the two black werewolves had disappeared. And when I wanted to punish the red one, Taranee stood in my way." Matt finished with a glare at Taranee.

"That's because this time the red werewolf protected the boy!" Taranee hissed back. "Your point of view on this matter is too black and white Matt!"

"It could have killed you!" Matt countered.

"But it didn't!" Taranee retorted.

The two looked angrily at each other. Will softly pulled on both their sleeves.

"Calm down." She said, though her voice was a bit wobbly. "Nothing happened to Taranee."

Matt sighed deeply and hugged Will closely.

"But I'm afraid that this will happen to you as well." He said.

Taranee noticed how Angelo and Will at each other when Will hugged Matt closer.

"Don't worry." She said gently. "I have the Heart. Which reminds me."

Will broke the hug and fiddled around. Taranee heard the rustling of paper and looked surprised when Will pulled a letter, as well as four smaller copies of the Heart of Kandrakar from under the blanket. Taranee swallowed as her eyes locked on the orange coloured one.

"Will, what is that?" She asked, her eyes still focussing on the amulet.

Will placed the letter on her legs and twirled a lock of her hair.

"Miss Lin came by last night." She said, looking at Hay Lin who nodded. "And she gave me these in name of the Oracle. They are emergency Hearts. Seeing that I'm forbidden to leave the house at nights with a full moon - Will glanced at her mother who nodded firmly – this is the only option to protect you guys."

With that Will started to divide the necklaces. Taranee held hers and felt a warmth coming from it, softly caressing her skin. She looked at the others, who also were assessing the weight of their pendant. As she slipped the necklace on, she looked at Will.

"And what about you?" She asked, knowing that this would fall a bit heavy on Will.

Will shrugged, though she did look a bit sad.

"Don't worry." She said weakly. "I have the Heart. And I can always undo your transformations."

"Can we fold?" Irma asked as she took her own pendant and started slashing in the air, not waiting for a response.

Nothing happened and it only resulted in making Irma look like an idiot, which made the group laugh. Irma muttered some things as she let the necklace drop and crossed her arms.

"Taranee." Mrs. Vandom said as the laughter had calmed down. "You said something about a boy. What happened to him and his parents?"

Taranee looked down at the ground.

"The boy, Jeremy, survived the attack of the two werewolves. He now lays in the hospital." She said sadly. "His parents, on the other hand, died."

A morbid silence fell in the room, in which everyone looked at the ground or in their glasses.

"Can we...Can we visit him?" Will then muttered.

Taranee noticed how Will's mother gave Will an alarming gaze, but Will's face didn't give anything away. Taranee nodded softly.

"I- I already wanted to go and visit him. I sometimes babysat him if their regular babysitter couldn't come." Taranee said softly, glad that Will was also concerned about the kid.

"Then let's visit him now!" Irma said as she got up. She then looked at Will and remembered that Will was ill. "Unless you're too ill to go..." She added awkwardly.

Will shook her head and got up.

"I'm a lot better than yesterday." She said, faking a smile. "And I think the boy could use some cheering up."

The others all uttered cries of agreement and in the end Susan had to give in. Everyone was quick to take his or her coat. They greeted Mrs. Vandom and thanked her for the ice-tea and the cookies and left the building.

As they headed towards the hospital, the large group split a bit in two. In front were Will and Angelo, talking to each other in hushed voices, while Taranee, Irma, Cornelia and Matt walked a bit behind. Hay Lin just walked in between and whistled a tune to herself, not really listening into either of the conversations.

"I don't like him." Matt muttered darkly as he glared at Angelo's back.

"Well, he is cute." Irma replied, getting an annoyed sigh from Taranee and Cornelia.

"So? He suddenly appears while we're in a werewolf crisis." Cornelia hissed back. "And he appears to be Will's best friend."

"Last time I checked, the W.I.T.C.H. girls were best friends." Taranee added darkly. "I mean, we fight evil together! And if you ask me, that beats any other regular friendship."

At this Matt, Irma and Cornelia nodded. What the three didn't know was that Will and Angelo had followed the whole conversation. Will sighed sadly, while Angelo couldn't do anything but look at her, seeing that if he would put an arm around her, he would get more of Matt's envy.

"I can't believe it!" Will hissed softly. "They are plain jealous!"

"Well you weren't really tactful when you said that I was your best friend." Angelo whispered back.

"Ow come one Angelo!" Will replied, still slightly angered. "How old are we again? That's something kids of the age of 6 worry about!"

"Perhaps they feel threatened by a real man." Angelo said cockily as he swayed his hips, making Will giggle. "Or they end up being werewolves too."

Will shuddered.

"I hope not." She said. "Cornelia and Taranee are both great girls, but you don't want to see them angry."

Angelo took a quick glance behind him and saw the glares of the two girls and Matt. Irma just winked at him.

"I do have the feeling Irma likes me." Angelo then muttered. "When did she have her last boyfriend?"

Will gave him a smirk.

"Elementary school, I think." She said, hiding her laughter.

"Oh boy." Angelo said grinning as he shook his head. "Then I'm pretty much in the picture."

At this Will laughed again and Angelo smiled. He was glad he'd managed to get Will to smile again. Will shook her head and patted him on the back.

"I guess I'll go and socialize with those in the back. Wanna come too?" She asked.

Angelo shook his head.

"No, I'm good." He said. "I see if I can get Hay Lin out of her daydream and talk somewhat with her. I mean, she is my future cousin."

Will nodded and halted her step, waiting to catch up with the others. Angelo slowed down so he could walk next to Hay Lin and the group continued their way to the hospital. As Will joined her friends in the back, they all stayed silent and welcomed her with open arms. Matt immediately placed his arm around her and once more did a shiver run over her spine.

"Are you cold?" Matt asked concerned. "Do you still have a fever?"

He reached out and touched her head, but felt nothing. Will looked him in the eyes and saw the love and concern he held for her. She couldn't tell him that the shiver was because of a memory of yesterday night. He wouldn't have reacted like that if he'd known she was that werewolf, but because of his reaction she only became more reluctant to reveal her secret. Yet a smile formed on her lips as she placed her head on Matt's chest as they walked. He cared for her and that was all that mattered to her for the moment.

"I wonder how Jeremy is doing." Taranee suddenly said, probably to lift the silence that filled their group.

Angelo and Hay Lin were happily talking and laughing with each other and Will guessed that Taranee wanted to stop the silent and inefficient glares at Angelo's back.

"How was he, when you found him?" Will asked, her voice trembling for a bit.

She could remember how the boy's arm had been covered in blood and she truly hoped he would make it.

"According to the doctors we spoke when we went with the ambulance, we were just in time or he would have bled to death." Taranee said, paling a bit as she thought of it. "But he's fine now. My mom got a call this morning."

At this the others sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear." Will said, truly happy that the boy hadn't died.

"The thing that concerns me is that there are more werewolves in Heatherfield than we first thought." Cornelia said darkly. "I mean, why now? Was that red werewolf some sort of sign for the others to come out?"

The others shrugged, but it created another silence. They all thought of what Cornelia had said. Could it be that the red werewolf had taken a full pack of werewolves to Heatherfield?

Will felt terribly uncomfortable as she thought of it. Cornelia was right, there hadn't been a werewolf in Heatherfield for as long as she'd lived here, but ever since she transformed, werewolves seemed to pop up like daisies. Had she lured others to here? Were they interested in her? Or did they have other motives?

The rest of the trip to the hospital went quickly and silently for that small group. Angelo nor Hay Lin had realized what had been said behind them and had been talking about their families, lives and how they couldn't wait for the marriage.

As they arrived at the hospital, they found that Jeremy's arm had been taped, but that he was further unharmed. His god-family had already visited him and they had just left. Taranee inquired for the room of the boy and the group took their leave. Though on their way they did bump into someone they didn't expect.

"What are you doing here, Uriah?" Irma sneered across the hallway when the lanky, pimpled, orange haired teenager came into sight.

The boy in question immediately sneered and came walking towards the group.

"Believe it or not, Lair." He sneered. "But I came to visit someone."

"So you didn't come from the anti-alcohol department?" Irma quipped, making Uriah snarl. "Or didn't you come asking if they had found a way to implant brain cells in that brainless head of yours?"

Uriah again snarled and made himself big. As if on instinct, Irma took a step back and Will a step forward. As this happened, Will noticed a strange smell around Uriah.

'Probably a new cologne.' Will thought as she sneered at him.

Uriah took a step back when Will advanced, looking slightly surprised at her. The moment their eyes met, Will's eyes briefly flashed bluish-white while Uriah's eyes flashed yellow. He then shook his head and glared at Irma over Will's shoulder.

"Good one Lair." He said, before he pushed himself through the group. "See you for another round."

Though when Uriah passed Angelo, the two had a short moment of eye-contact, in which Uriah's eyes flashed yellow and Angelo's eyes flashed green. No one had noticed the quick eye-colour changes. In fact, Irma just sneered behind Uriah's back as the lanky teen walked out.

"Who was that?" Angelo asked as he kept looking at Uriah.

"Just Uriah." Cornelia said, not really interested. "King of the dweebs and bully of the school."

"Total loser." Irma added with a nod.

"Right..." Angelo said, though he did look a bit confused at the boy.

"Wonder why he was here, though." Taranee asked, as the group continued their way.

"Don't know. Don't really care." Cornelia said simply while they rounded a corner. "Now where did the boy lay?"

Taranee pointed at the door further down the hallway. The group stopped in front of it and looked awkwardly at each other.

"Okay, we can't just barge in as group." Taranee said, stopping the rest. "We might also annoy the other patients."

"Which means split up." Angelo said, understanding what Taranee meant. "But I do think Taranee should be in both groups, seeing that she's the one who actually knows the kid."

Taranee nodded.

"I'll go in the first group." Will said shortly.

"I'll join to." Angelo said, getting surprised looks from everyone and an envious one from Matt. "What? The kid was attacked by werewolves! I just want to see how quick it heals in case something like that happens to me or anyone else!"

At this, several people nodded, though Taranee and Matt kept looking suspicious at Angelo.

"Well, I too will join the first group." Matt said, once again placing an arm around Will.

Will sighed. She was starting to feel like Matt's property, and it was kind of annoying her, yet she bit through it and gave him a smile. Angelo merely raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"Sure." He said. "So that means that Irma, Hay Lin and Cornelia are in the second group, right?"

Taranee repositioned her glasses and nodded, though before she could say a thing, Irma interrupted.

"Yeah, don't mind me. I'm not going in." She said. "It's not like I don't like the boy or that I don't mind him being injured, but I just don't know him and that would only make things awkward."

"I agree with Irma." Hay Lin said. "Can you guys tell us what the wound looks like?"

"We'll wait outside." Cornelia said calmly with a nod.

The others nodded in understanding. Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin went to seek a chair to wait. The others entered the room where Jeremy was supposed to be. As they entered they noticed that no one was there, except for a boy whose arm was taped. Matt shot a questioning glance at Taranee, who nodded.

"Hey Jeremy." She said softly, making the boy, who lay in bed, look up.

Jeremy looked up and saw who was standing in the room. He grinned when he recognized Taranee, though he did not recognize the other three. But knowing Taranee, they were probably good people.

"Hi Taranee!" He said happily as he waved with his good arm.

As the small group advanced, both Will and Angelo smelled something strange. Will's brow furrowed a bit. She really thought she'd smelled this scent before. And for some reason it didn't make her feel calm. Angelo too recognized the smell, but he had only eye for Will, seeing how she was handling the new situation.

"These are my friends, Will, Matt and Angelo." Taranee said friendly. "We came to check up you and ask you something."

The three waved as their names were called. Jeremy patted on his bed, indicating that they could come and sit. Taranee and Angelo went to stand on his right side while Will and Matt took the left. He smiled at all of them and then looked at Taranee.

"Sure." He said. "What?"

Taranee smiled at him.

"Well, how are you doing?" She asked.

Jeremy's grin faltered a bit.

"Well... I'm still scared." He said softly. "But big bro told me that he would protect me from now on. He and his parents are so nice to me... I just...Just wished my own parents... Were here as well..."

Tears started to well up and Jeremy pulled up his knees and started to cry softly. Taranee, Matt and Angelo looked at each other, not sure what to do, but Will had already reached out for him and petted him softly on his head.

"Ssh." She said softly, her own voice a bit broken as well. "They are still watching over you."

Jeremy suddenly pulled Will in a hug, surprising Taranee. She didn't understand why Jeremy pulled Will into a hug, while he'd never met her before. He'd always been a bit wary to strangers, yet here he was, hugging Will.

The two broke the hug when Jeremy's sobbing started to subdue. For a short moment they made eye-contact, in which Will's eyes flashed her bluish-white, while Jeremy's eyes flashed yellow. Though both blinked it away, not having seen the quick change in their eye colour.

Yet Jeremy kept staring at Will. Her eye colour was so familiar and so calming. But when Taranee cleared her throat, Will looked away and Jeremy looked at his neighbourhood friend.

"Jeremy... About your parents." She said softly, brushing some of his hair. "I'm really sorry for what happened. But as Will said. They are still watching over you."

"They are even around here, little man." Angelo said, making Jeremy look in surprise.

Jeremy looked around him, but only found the four who'd entered. He did not see his parents and a new sadness filled him, as well as anger. He looked angrily at Angelo, who slowly went to touch Jeremy's chest. The moment their eyes met, a brief change of colour happened, yet again, no one noticed. As Angelo touched Jeremy's chest, Jeremy had lifted his lip and showed a canine, making Angelo smile sadly at him.

"They are here." He said, patting Jeremy's chest. "In your heart."

Jeremy lowered his lip and looked at where Angelo's hand was touching him. A new sadness befell him, though a bit of reassurance accompanied it. As Angelo pulled his hand away, Jeremy could feel a warmth spreading through his chest and ended up smiling at Angelo.

"Thanks." He said, his voice slightly broken.

"No problem." Angelo said, though he still looked sadly at the boy.

"Jeremy, we have one more question before we leave." Taranee said.

Jeremy nodded, indicating that she could continue. Taranee gave a sideways glance at Will, who nodded encouragingly.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" She then asked.

Jeremy suddenly looked alarmed. His eyes were wide open and he stared at Taranee, as if she'd asked him to jump out of the window. He then slowly shook his head, swallowing some bile.

"I...I only remember two black wolves entering my house, killing my parents and trying to kidnap me." He said with a quivering voice. "And how a red one saved me."

Matt snarled a bit at the last part, but when he noticed that Will was looking at him, he straightened his face. He still had trouble believing that a werewolf would save a human, but he wouldn't voice that opinion now.

Taranee nodded and made a gentle cross on Jeremy's head.

"Well then, we'll be off." She said with a smile. "Get well soon ad send me your new address, okay?"

"Okay." Jeremy said with a nod. "Thanks for coming by."

The group got up and said their goodbyes to Jeremy. As they walked out, Will was the only one to look behind her at Jeremy. The moment their eyes met again, something clicked within Jeremy's head. He gasped and looked at Will, who only looked sadly at him.

"Thanks." Jeremy whispered, soft enough for Will to hear. "Thanks for last night."

Will turned her head and walked out, though this time with a small smile on her face.

Taranee, Angelo, Will and Matt met up with the rest of the group and walked out of the hospital to avoid any suspicious looks.

"So? Got any wiser?" Irma asked.

Taranee sighed.

"No." She said. "Nothing."

"He didn't know where those wolves came from? Or why that red one saved him?" Cornelia asked.

"He didn't tell a thing. Only what we already knew." Matt said, again having his arm around Will.

"Which means that we're in front of a puzzle." Taranee said, furrowing her brow. "Why did those werewolves attack Jeremy? Why did the red werewolf attack Irma, but protect him?"

A new silence ruled the group, though Will and Angelo gave each other a quick glance, at least knowing the answer of one question. The silence continued for a while when suddenly two cell phones went off.

"Hello?" Matt asked as he picked up his phone.

"Heatherfield Mortuary. You gag 'm, we sac 'm. How can I help you?" Irma said while answering her phone, causing a round of giggles from the rest.

They stopped walking and watched how both Irma and Matt replied to the person on the other side of the line. As they hung up, they both had a long face, though for different reasons.

"That was my mom." Irma said, getting another giggle from Hay Lin. "She wants me to babysit Chris... Anyone wanna kill me?"

At this the rest shook their heads and Irma hang hers. Hay Lin patted her on the back.

"I need to do some homework, so can I do that at your place?" She asked, helping Irma a bit.

Irma grinned and hugged Hay Lin.

"This is why you're awesome, you know that?" She said.

"Sure." Hay Lin said cockily, getting a light punch from Irma.

While this happened, Will gave Matt a questioning look, who sighed.

"That was Nigel, asking me to come for practice. A big gig is coming up and he wants us to practice a lot." He said, a bit grudgingly as his eyes wandered again to Angelo.

Going practice meant leaving Will, if she didn't join, and leaving Will meant leaving her with Angelo. And he did not trust Angelo.

"Aw, that's bad." Will said, slightly sad. "I wanted some more time with you."

"You can come with me?" Matt said, hoping she would say yes.

Will shook her head, drilling that hope into the ground.

"Sorry, but I'm too tired for that. And besides, now it will be a big surprise for me, right?" She said with a grin as she kissed him on the cheek.

Matt slowly rubbed his cheek, trying to smile for her.

"Yeah." He said. "One big surprise..."

His eyes again went to Angelo, who this time caught the glare and stared back. Matt gritted his teeth and tried to stop any urge to give the boy a fist between his eyes.

"I'll come." Taranee said. "I want to see Nigel again...If you don't mind?"

The last part was directed to Will, who shook her head.

"I think that parting now is the best option." She said. "I'm still a bit tired anyway."

"Which means that I have the option of seeing you sleep, doing my homework at Irma's place, doing my homework at home with Lillian or seeing how four boys make music..." Cornelia said. "Any room left at your place Irma?"

Irma shrugged.

"Sure, but you owe me some copy work for it." She said with a grin.

"Fine!" Cornelia said exasperated. "I can live with that."

"Then my house is open for you." Irma said with a mock bow.

The girls all said their goodbyes and they all took their path. Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin headed towards Irma's house, while talking about everyday stuff. Cornelia still wasn't too happy with Angelo, yet she knew that mentioning him around Hay Lin would only make her Asian friend go on the defensive and she didn't want to ruin the mood.

Matt and Taranee went towards Matt's house, while Matt's mood was pretty dark.

"I don't trust him, Taranee." Matt said, knowing Taranee felt the same. "There is something about him that worries me."

"I know what you mean, but you have to calm down." Taranee said darkly. "I don't really like him either, but Will does."

"That's what worries me." Matt replied a bit angered.

"Matt, you and Will have a bond which she doesn't have with Angelo." Taranee reasoned. "I mean, you have powers and fight alongside her! I don't see him doing that."

At this Matt grinned.

"You don't suppose we could release Phobos and Cedric and let Angelo follow Will, hum?" He said, getting a warning glance from Taranee. "Just a suggestion!"

Taranee shook her head, but before she had a chance to even scold Matt, Nigel came walking into view. A smile graced her face and she made a mental note to scold Matt later as she walked up to him. Now the problem known as Angelo could wait. Nigel was just a tad more important than that.

**...**

"You noticed it too, didn't you?" Angelo asked as he walked next to Will.

"What?" Will asked, slightly confused.

"About Jeremy." Angelo said patiently.

"What should I've noticed?" Will asked, not really following Angelo.

Angelo sighed a bit and softly tapped Will on the head.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He asked, teasing Will a bit.

Will patted his hand away and growled softly, making Angelo grin in return. Once Will noticed what she was doing and why Angelo was grinning, she stopped her growling and blew a raspberry at him.

"Tell me, Oh great master." She then said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Will!" Angelo said. "What happens when a human gets bitten by a werewolf?"

Will paled a bit and she looked unbelievingly at Angelo.

"Please...Don't tell me..." She asked, slightly stuttering.

"I'm afraid so." Angelo said with a nod.

Will sighed miserably.

"I was not only too late to save his parents, but also too late to stop them from biting him." She said sadly.

Angelo patted her gently on the shoulder.

"We can teach him and watch over him during the full moon." He proposed. "I can easily teach you both. And besides. If you hadn't shown up, he would have been kidnapped, so don't blame yourself for those things, okay?"

Will smiled again at him and hugged him tightly. Angelo was a bit surprised by the act and checked if Matt wasn't close enough to see it.

"Don't you worry about what Matt might think?" He asked, though he hugged her back.

Will gave him a wolfish grin as her eyes had a certain spark in them.

"What he doesn't know, won't hurt him." She said.

"Getting bold, are we?" Angelo said as the two broke the hug.

Will leaned a bit against him, keeping the same grin.

"Blame it on the wolf inside me." She said cockily.

Angelo looked a bit worried at her, though Will stopped leaning and continued walking.

'Oh Will. I you only knew what the wolf inside you could really do.' He thought sadly before catching up with Will.

"By the way, do you think we'll walk into Uriah tomorrow?" Angelo asked, making Will scowl a bit.

"I sure hope not, but knowing him, he would probably try and put my bike into a knot, as usual." She grumbled annoyed. "Why?"

Angelo put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Just wondering." He said with a knowing grin.

**...**

He couldn't believe it. He could simply not believe it. The redhead, the one he liked to tease because she had some fire, was a werewolf.

Uriah again threw a small ball against the wall of his bedroom, catching it as it bounced back and continued with the handling, his eyes fixed on the wall.

He had to meet with her and that guy she was with at the hospital. New werewolves...He had to find out about their clans and their ideals. Because if they had anything to do with Jeremy's attack, he would not even bother to inform his father. No. He would go and kill them. Personally.

_**[A/N] Okay, went a bit overboard with it, but I hope you enjoyed it! A lot of information and stuff, though I think the part in the hospital could have been better, only I can't think of it right now.**_

_**Also you guys noticed I made a big issue about the eye colour flashing for a second, right? Well, only full grown werewolves can notice it. Pups like Will, Angelo and Uriah don't notice it at all and humans, like the rest, will never notice it. Though some very experienced Hunters might see it.**_

_**Anyway, you guys are lucky I managed to finish it on Halloween. So see this as my treat and my previous chapter as my trick.**_

_**Review and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**_


	5. Chapter 5 Discussions

**Chapter 5 Discussions**

"Morning."

Angelo looked up from his toast to see Will walking in. She had bags under her eyes and was dressed in her usual combination of t-shirt, jeans and grey vest. Her hair was unruly and yawned loudly as she entered. She muttered a greeting and took a toast, munching it aphetically.

"You really don't want to go, do you?" Angelo said with a grin.

"Would you?" Will replied, her mouth half full with food. "I mean, I can walk into Hunters, Rogues or other werewolves! No, I'm terribly happy to go to school."

"You're overreacting." Angelo said as he drank his juice. "I had the same problem, but everything ended better than expected. Trust me."

"I just hope my boyfriend won't cling on me for the full day just to show you I'm his." Will replied.

"But it is so cute." Angelo teased, getting a sly look from Will.

"You know, I haven't told them that you're single." She said with a smug grin. "I'm sure Irma would love to hear that."

Angelo paled a bit.

"Whoa Will. I like the girl, but not in that kind of way!" He quickly said, though Will kept grinning at him. "Aw come on Will! That would be mean!"

"I'm not saying anything." Will said innocently as she took a sip of her own juice.

Angelo looked suspiciously at his friend, but Will only ate silently, while sending him an occasional smirk once in a while.

"Where's mom anyway?" She asked as Angelo and Will quickly cleaned the table.

"She was called for work. She went out after calling you for at least four times." Angelo said. "Which I find hard to believe if I hadn't been here myself. I mean, girl! Your hearing has improved a lot and still you can sleep through your mother's shrieks!"

Will grinned at him.

"You learn to sleep through everything when you have a slumber party at Hay Lin's." She said, grabbing her backpack.

"Snoring?" Angelo questioned while grabbing their coats.

"You have no idea." Will replied, taking her coat from Angelo. "Now let's go. I'd rather not be late on the first day."

She opened the door, only to find Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Matt standing in front of it. Hay Lin had a mild glare directed at Will, while Taranee and Cornelia raised their eyebrows as they noticed that Susan was no longer there. Irma waved at Angelo while wearing her trademark grin and Matt moved quickly to walk stand next to Will the moment she would step through the door.

"What are you guys doing here?" Will asked slightly shocked. She nor Angelo had heard them coming or even stand in front of the door.

"Walking with you, like always." Taranee answered airily, but Will knew that there was more behind it.

The only one who walked with her to school was Taranee, because she lived on the same way to school. But Irma, Matt, Hay Lin and Cornelia lived somewhere else and walking to her house before going to school would be detour for them.

And judging by the subtle glares from three of the five told her that they simply didn't trust Angelo yet. But Will didn't let that get her down. They were concerned about her, so they didn't mean anything wrong with it. And besides, she wouldn't dream of keeping Irma's temporary crush away from her.

Will then noticed Hay Lin's minor glare and looked surprised.

"What?" She asked.

"You were gossiping about me!" Hay Lin said as she poked Will in the chest. "I. Do not. Snore!"

At this Irma starting coughing really loudly, hiding the words "Yes, you do" within them. Hay Lin heard it and turned her glare on her best friend, who innocently whistled.

"What?" Irma asked innocently.

"I don't snore! Right guys?" Hay Lin said, turning to the others.

Matt shrugged, not knowing if she did or not, but both Taranee and Cornelia nodded.

"Sorry Hay. But you do." Taranee said.

"But don't worry." Cornelia said reassuringly. "We're used to it by now."

Hay Lin grumbled a bit and crossed her arms. Irma hang over her shoulders and placed her face next to Hay Lin's.

"Come on Hay!" She said, trying to get her friend back to her bubbly self. "Today is the first day of school! You can go and show off your new outfit."

As Hay Lin lit up by those words, Will took a closer look at Hay Lin's outfit. Due to that Hay Lin usually wore rather eccentric clothing, she didn't really notice it, but Hay Lin wore something different then from what she wore last year. Now she had a colourful blouse with no sleeves and used leg warmers with ropes from it as sleeves. A light green skirt with more ropes hang around her waist. On those ropes hang several beads, which ticked playfully as Hay Lin skipped through the hallway. Her hair was done in the usual two long pigtails.

"Nice outfit Hay Lin." Angelo commented as they walked out of the building.

Hay Lin lit up even more and blushed a bit.

"Thanks!" She chirped. "I wanted a happy look for the first day."

"I see you managed to do just that." Angelo said with a smile, making Hay Lin squeal in delight and hug him.

Taranee, Matt and Cornelia eyed him warily while Will merely shook her head and grinned. They would realize that Angelo wasn't bad.

The rest of their way towards school was rather uneventful. Hay Lin and Irma gave Angelo a short summary about every teacher there was and who to evade at the school. Hay Lin also told him about the boyfriends of the rest of W.I.T.C.H., though when they arrived, neither Nigel nor Eric seemed to be there. Irma noticed that Martin was missing as well, which resulted in getting some jests from the other girls.

"Strange, usually Nigel is here waiting for me." Taranee said, a little sad.

"Same with Eric." Hay Lin said, looking a bit disappointed. "I wanted to see his expression when he saw my new outfit…"

At this Matt groaned slightly and facepalmed, which made everyone look at him in surprise.

"What?" Will asked, sounding a bit threatening. "Are you complaining about Hay Lin?"

Matt shook his head quickly, realising he chose a bad time to groan.

"No! No!" He said quickly. "No, I just remembered that I'd gotten a text from Nigel and Eric."

"What did they say?" Hay Lin asked, lighting up a bit.

"They would be a bit later. Some troubles at home or something like that." Matt said, frowning a bit.

"Oh yeah!" Hay Lin said. "Eric told me his parents would come and visit!"

"Oh, meeting the parents! Are you planning to go to another base?" Irma said as she nudged Hay Lin with a smirk.

Hay Lin blushed furiously and pushed Irma a bit.

"Irma!" She said exasperated. "He just asked if I wanted to meet them! That's all!"

"Sure." Irma said innocently while winking at the others.

Irma continued to walk and ended a bit further from the group. Then the whole group could hear her sing softly.

"Eric and Hay Lin sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" They heard.

Hay Lin reddened again and ran after Irma, yelling her name loudly, which caused both Will and Angelo to wince. But luckily everyone was looking at how Hay Lin chased Irma, so no one noticed it. Angelo and Will shot each other a glance and both sighed in relief.

In the end, Irma had been caught by Hay Lin, but Hay Lin was too tired to even poke Irma, so it ended with a glare from Hay Lin while Irma just grinned sweetly.

"Come on you guys." Will said as the bell rang. "Let's go to class. Teasing each other can continue during break time."

"Will!" Hay Lin whined, though when she saw Will's grin she realized that she was joking.

Hay Lin poked Will and together the group went inside. Inside the school the group split up. Angelo and Matt went to math, Will and Cornelia went to science class and Taranee, Irma and Hay Lin went to history. As the latter three went into the classroom, they noticed that Mr. Collins was not present.

"Strange." Taranee muttered as the three walked to their seats. "Mr. Collins is usually at his desk around this time."

"Perhaps he overslept." Irma muttered.

"He doesn't do that." Hay Lin replied. "I mean, remember when we covered him in roaches? The next day he was at his desk before either Will or Cornelia entered."

At this the three looked slightly concerned at each other. Slowly the class filled up, but there was still no teacher in sight. Mutterings started to fill the classroom and here and there some paper planes were thrown through the air.

"Don't tell me the guy's sick, cause then I could still be sleeping!" Irma moaned loudly.

Steps echoed through the hallway, right after Irma's sentence ended. They recognized the clacking heels of Mrs. Knickerbocker, but they also heard heavy, slouching footsteps.

"That's strange." Hay Lin muttered. "I hear Knickerbocker, but the one with her is not Mr. Collins."

The door opened and Mrs. Knickerbocker appeared, her usual white hairdo wobbling a bit as she walked into the class. The class silenced immediately and everyone's eyes went from the principal to the man who followed her. He was slightly taller than her, had blue eyes hidden behind glasses and had blond hair which reached his neck. He was dressed in a simple brown suit and smiled nicely to the students.

"Wasn't he the computer science sub from last year?" Irma whispered surprised.

"Yeah...Though I forgot his name." Hay Lin whispered in return.

"Sylla." Taranee replied. "His name is Sylla."

"Oh yeah!" Hay Lin said. "He gave me the creeps sometimes."

"Yeah, as if he was watching everyone more than a normal teacher." Irma said with a nod.

"Class, may I have your attention?" Mrs. Knickerbocker said, disrupting their conversation. "Mr. Collins got another job in New York during the summer vacation and has left us."

'Explains why Will was so happy during the summer.' Irma said telepathically, getting a snigger form Hay Lin and a scolding look from Taranee.

"But don't worry my young disciples." Mr. Sylla continued. "For I am also perfectly capable of filling your heads with the boredom that is history."

He got multiple laughs from the class while Mrs. Knickerbocker had to hide her smirk. She left the class and Mr. Sylla calmed the kids, who were glad to have him. Even Taranee, Irma and Hay Lin had to admit that having a teacher with a sense of humor was a welcome change. Though Irma's opinion about Sylla reverted quickly as the end of the class came closer.

"Can you believe it?" Irma said, half shocked and half annoyed as they walked to their second class. "We've got to write an essay about Europe in the time of Charles the Great before next week!"

"Collins is quick, usually he gives it in the second class."

The three turned around to find Will, Cornelia, Angelo and Matt walking towards them. Matt was already next to Will, while Cornelia walked at her other side. Angelo walked next to Cornelia, but seemed rather content.

"Sorry Corny, but Collins is no longer here." Irma said slightly sour. "He got a job in the Big Apple."

"What?" Will said, clearly surprised. "Mom didn't tell me! Though she does seem to prefer keeping secrets from me..."

The last part was muttered softly, only for Angelo and Hay Lin to hear. Angelo looked slightly saddened at Will while Hay Lin became confused. She wanted to ask Will what she meant when Will disrupted that idea.

"So, who's the new teacher?"

"Sylla." Irma replied with a sneer.

Now both Will and Cornelia shuddered a bit while Matt grimaced. Angelo looked confused at them, until Taranee was so kind to explain.

"Sylla used to keep an eye the five of us." She said. "He worked for the government and was supposed to unravel our secret, but we managed to use his own trap against him and got him fired."

"Does he know that you five were behind it?" Angelo questioned, slightly concerned.

"Nah." Irma said, though she did look around to make sure no one would hear them. "Will made the electrical appliances work against him. There is no way he could have known and besides, both Taranee and I did a number on him."

"True. He shouldn't have any memory about his investigation about us." Taranee said with a nod.

"It's almost scary how you guys solved that." Angelo said with an uncomfortable grin.

"Don't worry." Irma said as she laid her arm around his shoulders. "We only do that to bad guys."

The flirting smirk on her lips told Angelo enough. He smiled innocently at her and tried to find a way to gently tell Irma that, though she was attractive, he would not fall for her. She was just a bit too much for him. Thinking about a way out, he noticed how the group came to a standstill. Irma had taken her arm back and he saw they were all looking at something which happened further in the hallway. He looked past Taranee, who'd been walking in front of him, and saw that Uriah was bullying a guy with orange hair and dorky glasses. Angelo also noticed the two bigger boys who were with him.

But the thing that made him feel slightly uncomfortable was that, next to the fact that he also felt an indescribable feeling of anger, Will also seemed restless. Matt had taken his arm of off her and could not notice the small change, but Angelo could see it from the corners of his eyes. She'd lifted her lip and he could see that her hair in the back of her neck was standing on end. He wondered why she'd be this angry to see Uriah, seeing that she did not react to him like that yesterday. That was what puzzled him until he remembered. Uriah's scent had been around Jeremy in the hospital. Could it be that Will thought...?

"He's bullying Martin again." Irma hissed annoyed. "This time I'm going to give him a medicine of h..."

Irma never finished her sentence due to the surprise which overwhelmed her when she saw Will running at full speed at Uriah. Everyone of the group looked surprised as Will tackled the bully, causing Martin to fall to the ground as well, seeing that he'd been hold by Uriah before Will tackled. The two started to wrestle and though it was soft, you could hear a growl sometimes. Neither Kurt nor Laurent knew what to do, or anyone else for that matter.

Angelo looked at the two and could clearly feel the animal like hostility coming from the two of them. He had a feeling they would give away their secret if they kept fighting like this. He quickly stepped in and managed to pull the two apart, right before Mrs. Knickerbocker's heels clacked through the hallway.

"What's going on here?" She demanded, seeing how Angelo kept a feral Will and Uriah apart.

Both Will and Uriah were panting slightly and still eyeing each other with a killer glare. Angelo placed his hand on Will's shoulder and managed to get her to look at him. The moment their eyes met, he could see how she started to calm down. But he could also see the questions which were coming up. He shook his head discreetly, letting her know not to say anything now.

"Uriah wanted to give me my 'welcome back to school bully packet'." Martin explained, though he looked slightly suspicious at both his attacker as well as Will. "Will came and tackled him to the ground, saving me."

"Is this true, Ms. Vandom?" Mrs. Knickerbocker asked, her voice sharp.

Will, who was still a little feral, merely nodded, now looking at the ground. The others seems to snap out of their stupor and came walking to Will and Angelo.

"It's true, Mrs. Knickerbocker." Irma defended, though it was clear she was heavily surprised. "She told us she would stop Uriah in a way, but I never thought she meant actually tackling him."

Angelo knew it was a lie, but Mrs. Knickerbocker nodded briskly.

"I see. Ms. Vandom. Mr. Dunn, I see you two at my office at the end of the day." She said resolute, making the two teens look in shock at her.

"Bu..."

"That would be all." Mrs. Knickerbocker said sternly, cutting off Will and anybody else who wanted to complain. "And Uriah, don't let me catch you on bullying Mr. Tubbs again, understood?"

Uriah muttered something but Mrs. Knickerbocker took it as his agreement and walked on, skittering the students who'd come to watch the fight.

"Off to your classes!" She demanded. "Now!"

Students immediately dispersed, though the small group stayed together while walking towards the class of Cornelia and Will.

"Will! What was that all about?" Cornelia hissed, clearly still shocked about her friend's behaviour.

Will shrugged a bit grumpily before looking back. She could see Uriah staring her down and she sent him a nasty glare.

"Will!" Cornelia hissed again, demanding an answer.

"Angelo and I ran into Uriah yesterday when we went back." Will muttered, focusing on the tiles in front of her. "He was pestering some kids and I guess this was the final drop."

"I thought he reminded you of a bully back at elementary." Angelo said slightly surprised. "I didn't know that what happened yesterday contributed to it."

"That too." Will muttered, glad that Angelo realized she was lying and aiding her.

The others merely sighed, though Taranee kept a close eye on the two. She'd seen how Will was looking slightly uncomfortable and she'd noticed how Angelo was eager to aid her. Something was up with those two, but she didn't know what.

"But you hit him good!" Irma said with a big grin. "The jerk finally got what he deserved! Didn't know you could hit so hard."

Will smiled awkwardly at Irma while rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, I guess the anger got me." She said with a small smile.

The classes continued and the news about the small skirmish between Uriah and Will quickly circled through the school. The rumours were that quick that when the lunch break came, all the students knew about it. Which was proven when students started to whisper loudly and pointing at Will when she passed them.

Will, who'd calmed down a lot, merely ignored the whisperings. She hadn't seen Uriah up till now and she was determined to keep her cool the next time she saw him...Unless they were alone, because then she would go full Guardian on him. She'd never thought that Uriah would attack a little boy and even having the guts to track the boy down again. She was going to make sure that the rogue would get his just desserts.

"Oh Eric! Over here!"

"Nigel!"

"Go away, Martin."

Will looked up from her food and saw the smiles on Taranee's and Hay Lin's faces together with Irma's snarl. She saw how three boys approached them and felt again how Matt's arm brought her close to him. She merely rolled her eyes and watched how the three guys took their seats. Eric took a seat next to Hay Lin, while giving her a quick kiss. Nigel sat on Taranee's other side, seeing that Taranee was sitting next to Will in a sad attempt to stop Angelo from being near her, and kissed her as well. Martin took a chair from another table and tried to sit next to Irma, who tried to hide behind Angelo, who merely raised his eyebrow.

"Hey, you're the new dude." Nigel said as he noticed Angelo. "I'm Nigel Ashcroft."

Angelo nodded friendly and bumped fists with Nigel.

"Angelo Vanders." He replied, before looking questioningly at the other two men.

Hay Lin jumped a bit in her seat and nudged Eric, who extended his hand.

"This is Eric!" She chirped, not giving Eric a proper chance to introduce himself. "This is the guy who I wanted to introduce to you! Eric, he's gonna be my cousin!"

Eric laughed a bit at Hay Lin's usual happy demeanour and shook Angelo's hand when he accepted it.

"I'm Eric Lyndon." He said with a grin. "Nice to meet you."

"Same." Angelo said with a grin. "I see that Hay Lin is quite happy with you."

Eric placed his arm around Hay Lin's shoulders and pulled her a bit closer to him.

"I think I'm happier with her." He said before Hay Lin gave a short squeal and kissed him.

"Get a room!" Irma said from the other side of the table, getting a glare and a raspberry from her best friend.

"You're just jealous you don't have one." Hay Lin replied, making Irma glare a bit.

"I've got a room to spare, if that's what you mean?" Martin said innocently, leaving Irma blushing furiously while the rest of the group started laughing.

Neither Martin nor Angelo got the joke and merely shrugged. Martin then extended his hand.

"I'm Martin Tubbs." He said, adjusting his glasses. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Angelo said with a grin.

"So, where do you come from?" Nigel asked while poking in his food.

"Fadden Hills." Angelo replied before taking a bite.

"Wasn't that the place Will came from?" Martin asked, again adjusting his glasses.

"Yup!" Hay Lin chirped. "He and Will go way back! They know each other for at least 12 years!"

"Wow! That's long!" Eric said impressed.

"Did you two also date?" Nigel asked, not knowing he was entering dangerous territory.

His question made a small impact on the group. Taranee, Cornelia, Irma and Hay Lin leaned forwards, eager wanting to know the answer. Matt got slightly red in his face while both Will and Angelo blushed a bit.

"Well... Yeah, we did." Angelo answered, noticing a dangerous glare from Matt. "But we broke up."

"Why?" Hay Lin asked innocently. "You two could be a pretty good couple."

Both Angelo and Will exchanged a look before they both glanced at Matt, who was starting to look as red as Will's hair.

"We thought that we couldn't keep a long-distance relationship." Angelo said quickly. "You know, we might find someone else and could end up breaking the heart of the other."

"And I did find someone else." Will said, kissing Matt on his cheek. "And he's a lot cuter than Angelo."

"Ouch! That hurts!" Angelo mocked, acting as if his heart was aching and causing the group to snicker.

Matt seemed to calm down, though his suspicious glare remained on his face. Will and Angelo sensed that it was better to change the subject and as Will kissed Matt again, Angelo turned to the three boys.

"So Eric. I heard you were later. How come?" He asked.

At this Eric looked a bit uncomfortable and shrugged.

"My parents are coming over, you know?" He said, though he looked a bit evasive. "Grandfather wanted me to clean my room before I went to school and I forgot the time."

"And you Nigel?" Taranee asked, remembering that he too had been late.

Nigel smiled at her, which Taranee recognized as his uncomfortable feeling smile. She raised an eyebrow, giving the poor boy a look that could match her mother's when giving a third degree.

"It was nothing!" Nigel said, knowing he said the wrong thing. "Look. Uhm... My brother returned last night and he and I went out. I just didn't sleep that much so I overslept."

Taranee nodded slowly, though she didn't seem to believe him completely. Luckily for Nigel, the sound of a falling platter rang through the cafeteria, which made everyone look at the source. They found Uriah glaring at Mr. Sylla. It was a surprise to everyone to see that the platter which had fallen belonged to Uriah. They saw Uriah gritting his teeth and snarling at the teacher before walking away, giving him an evil eye. Mr. Sylla merely shrugged and continued walking, but the obvious smirk on his face told everyone that he was the reason why Uriah's platter had fallen in the first place.

"So even our big boy doesn't dare to go against teachers." Eric said, wearing the same grin as Sylla.

"At least someone puts him in his place, other than Mrs. Knickerbocker that is." Martin muttered.

"Though I wonder why Sylla did that?" Taranee said pensively. "I mean, it was clear that he'd done something to Uriah which made him drop his plate."

"He's just a freak, T." Irma said with some disgust. "Even if we … I mean… Even after he left school last year."

The three boys, who didn't know of their secret, nodded, while the rest of the table gave Irma a scolding glance. She'd nearly spoiled their secret!

The only two who weren't really paying attention to Irma, were Angelo and Will. Will had been looking at Uriah the entire time, while Angelo looked pensively at Sylla. Angelo shook his head and got up, receiving the attention of the whole group.

"I'm just going to the toilet." He said, almost feeling attacked by the number of suspicious stares on him.

The stares did not diminish and Angelo quickly left the cafeteria. Once he was out of range, the others continues their meals as if nothing had happened, until they noticed that someone else was glaring them down.

"What?" Cornelia asked, slightly irritated as she looked at Will.

Will shrugged.

"I wondered how you guys would feel when someone looked at you as if you'd robbed a bank." She simply said, though it was clear what she meant.

"We didn't do anything!" Hay Lin defended, making Will shake her head.

"I didn't mean you, Hay Lin." She said, looking sternly at Taranee, Cornelia and Matt. "But three of us seem to think Angelo robs a bank on a daily basis."

"Of course we don't!" Taranee said shocked.

"Oh, then why do you look at him as if he does?" Will countered, showing she'd seen the looks. "He's just here. Can't you guys cut him some slack?"

Taranee, Cornelia and Matt glanced darkly at each other. They nodded and turned to Will.

"Will... Don't you..think it's suspicious?" Taranee then whispered, trying to keep Eric, Nigel and Martin out of the conversation.

Irma and Hay Lin sensed that Taranee was trying to have a secret conversation and effectively distracted the three boys by getting them to talk about professor Sylla. Will raised an eyebrow as both Taranee and Cornelia leaned in closer to talk to her.

"Yeah, he suddenly appears after the second night of a werewolf attack." Cornelia whispered.

"Are you sure he didn't arrive earlier?" Taranee added.

Will felt her anger rise again, but also a part of her became scared. If those two already figured out that Angelo was a werewolf, it wouldn't take them long to figure out she was one too. And that was something she wanted to prevent, no matter what.

"Angelo arrived by plane on the morning after the night with the second moon." She said, carefully picking her words. "Mom got a call from the airport to let her know he landed. Which means that Angelo flew during a full moon, which means he is no werewolf, right?"

Will watched carefully as her two friends and boyfriend took the lies she gave them. The three looked suspiciously at her, but Will kept a straight face and in the end, she did see the compliance in their eyes. Both Cornelia and Taranee seemed to be relieved, though Will was sure they were still jealous of Angelo being her best friend. Perhaps she should've said that he was her best, male friend. That should have defused the tension.  
Matt didn't seem too pleased with the lies, but he accepted them nonetheless. Angelo returned from his visit to the toilets and was welcomed more warmly. When he eyed Will for answers, she merely grinned at him. The lunch went by in a more pleasant ambiance, with Angelo having a calm and nice conversation with Taranee, while Irma was shooting peas at Cornelia. In other words, a normal lunch.

The day continued normally. At the end, the group wanted to stay for Will, but destiny interfered. Irma and Cornelia were called by their parents and asked if they could go and get their siblings. Matt was being towed away by Nigel, who said that they needed more practice. He also asked Taranee to come, so they could go out afterwards. Hay Lin was called by her father and told that she had to do some deliveries. Which left Angelo alone, waiting for Will. Not that he minded. He didn't have the keys to the house and he was curious to how Will would react when she and Uriah were in the same room once more.

As for Will, she entered the principal's office after getting hugs and good lucks from the group. The moment she entered she saw Uriah sitting and felt her pulse rising. She took some deep breaths, trying to convince herself that Uriah couldn't do anything right now, and sat down in the chair next to him. She felt hostility coming from him and couldn't stop herself from glaring. Their glare war was interrupted as principal Knickerbocker entered.

"Vandom. Dunn." She said, getting the attention of the two. "This is the first time I've got the two of you in my office because of a fight. Care to explain?"

Both Uriah and Will crossed their arms, though the glare of Mrs. Knickerbocker made them think otherwise.

"I…I had a difficult weekend." Will said, trying to find a nice line between truth and lies. "And when I saw Uriah bullying Martin, everything which had accumulated in the weekend exploded and I attacked him to save Martin."

"To my defence, I only hugged Martin." Uriah said, getting an incredulous look from Mrs. Knickerbocker, clearly stating that she did not believe him.

Will also threw him a glare, which to Uriah responded. Mrs. Knickerbocker sighed and slammed on her table, getting the attention of the two teens.

"I never thought I would say this." She muttered. "But in this case, Uriah is the victim. Ms. Vandom, even though your reason was heroic as well as own stress relief, I cannot accept violence in this school."

Uriah smirked smugly at Will, who slumped in her chair.

"I understand, ma'am." She muttered.

"But, seeing that this is also your first offense against a fellow student, I will give you detention for a month." Mrs. Knickerbocker said, getting a small sigh of relief from Will.

"What?" Uriah said shocked. "How come she gets away with it with just some detention? Why not suspend her for a month? She attacked me!"

Will gritted her teeth and discreetly raised her lip at Uriah, while Mrs. Knickerbocker glared Uriah down.

"Mr. Dunn." She said. "I am still the principle and this was my punishment concerning this case. You, however, are also not getting out of this so easily."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Uriah asked surprised.

"Bullying Mr. Tubbs on the first day of school can also not be left unpunished. But seeing that this is also your first offense of this _year_, I will give you the same punishment as Ms. Vandom. You may join her with detention."

Neither Will nor Uriah liked the prospect of seeing each other in the same classroom for three hours every Friday and were both likely to complain, but Mrs. Knickerbocker already pointed at the door.

"That was all." She said. "I'll see you two Friday after school for your first detention."

Uriah got up angrily and walked out, not even bothering glancing at Will or Knickerbocker. Will gave an inquisitive look at her principle, who motioned she could leave as well. Will calmly got up from her chair and left the room, saying her goodbye to the principle.

Right when she closed the door, she noticed Angelo sitting next to the door. Once he took notice of her, he got up with a concerned look, but Will merely shrugged.

"So, what's your punishment?" He asked as the two left school. "Cause I saw Uriah exiting the room and he didn't look pleased."

Will raised her shoulders to her ears and blew a pluck of her hair out of her face in annoyance, causing her hair to spark.

"Well, he's not the only one." She said a bit bummed. "I've got detention."

Angelo relaxed.

"Ow, that's not that bad." He said with laugh. "I thought you would be suspended or something like that."

Will shook her head, now smiling a bit as well.

"Nah, this is my very first offense." She said with a grin. "I'm not really planning on getting more."

"Then why the sad look?" Angelo said as he pinched her cheek, getting a playful punch in return.

"I've got detention _with_ Uriah." Will replied grudgingly. "He got detention for bullying Martin. So now the two of us are to be confined in the same room, every Friday, for a couple of hours."

"Ouch." Angelo said. "That's harsh… But you don't mind giving me your key on Fridays then? Cause waiting once isn't that bad, but waiting every Friday…"

Angelo ducked to avoid another punch of Will, both grinning at each other.

"Very funny." She said, though getting a bit glum. "I just hope I won't get another reason to jump his throat, because when we were sitting there in Knickerbocker's office, I was this close to tackling him again."

"Why?" Angelo asked, knowing that there had to be a reason to agitate Will's inner wolf to this extent.

"Because I'm sure I smelled him before." Will growled darkly.

"Couldn't he just visit Jeremy?" Angelo asked, thinking Will meant that she smelled him in the hospital near Jeremy.

Will shook her head.

"That made me scared." She admitted.

Angelo looked confused at Will, who looked concerned at him.

"Why?" He asked, not understanding.

"Because I am sure I smelled him the day Jeremy was attacked." Will replied, slightly angered. "So I think he found his target again."

"You mean that Uriah was one of those who attacked Jeremy?" Angelo said surprised. "I mean, he may be a bully, but attacking humans?"

"I know what I smelled, Angelo." Will snarled at Angelo, before realizing that she was giving her wolfish side the chance to control her.

She hung her head apologetically.

"Sorry." She said softly, making Angelo pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry." He said calmly. "I know what you're going through."

The two continued walking like this in silence, though when they were near Will's apartment building, the win turned and a certain smell wafted past their noses. Will's lip immediately raised and Angelo nudged her, shaking his head and calming Will a bit.

"I guess you smelled him, huh?" He said, getting an affirmative nod from Will.

"Yeah…" She said darkly. "Let's surprise him."

Will suddenly took a turn into an alley from which you could see her room. Angelo followed her and noticed that it was darker in the alley and could cover a fight. The two of them stood still in the middle of the alley, just hiding in its shadows, when they heard the footsteps of a third person nearing. The closer the steps came, the angrier Angelo started to feel. Once again he wondered why this was.  
Both turned around and Will unconsciously changed her eye colour to their wolfish colours.

The third person entered the alley and changed his eye colours immediately to their own wolfish colours at the sight of Will's eyes.

"You." He growled. "You're going to give me some answers."

Angelo, who'd seen Uriah's eye colour change, glanced quickly at Will and realized that she'd accidentally changed her own. Will didn't know that changing your eye colour to their wolfish versions meant that you were willing to fight in human form. So she didn't know she was picking a fight!

"Wait!" Angelo said, but he was already too late.

Uriah had taken a leap at Will, who ran full into him. To both Angelo's and Uriah's surprise, Will didn't fall to the ground, but kept Uriah in a deadlock. Both growled darkly at the other and were crushing each others' hands. Angelo was quick and jumped between them, pushing them away from each other.

"Move newbie!" Uriah growled. "The redhead challenged me! I know my rights."

"But she doesn't know hers!" Angelo replied shortly. "Now let's calm down."

"He attacked me!" Will countered, glaring at Uriah. "I've got my rights for breaking his neck!"

Angelo took a note of how violent Will became when her wolfish side came out and wondered what clan she belonged to. The only hints he'd gotten were her abnormal strength for a pup and a female, her strange eye colour and her violent behaviour when threatened. But his knowledge of several clans was limited, so he couldn't be sure.

"I want to see you do that, pup!" Uriah snarled. "I'll get you for attacking Jeremy!"

"Me attacking him?" Will snarled in return. "Your smell was all over him that night! I bet I threw you away from him!"

Angelo noticed how Uriah's hostility suddenly dropped and he saw how Uriah's eye colours returned back to normal. He looked confused at Will and Angelo could feel how Will also started to calm down.

"Will was with Jeremy last moon." Angelo said slowly. "But not to attack him… But to save him."

"Why?" Was Uriah's response. "Why would she save a random stranger?"

"Because I thought Taranee was attacked." Will replied. "But when I saw it was another house, I instinctively ran to protect that family. But why was your smell all over him?"

Uriah raised his nose and crossed his arms.

"That's none of your concern." He growled.

Will growled darkly and before Angelo or Uriah could react, Will was already at Uriah. She pushed him against the wall and placed her hand on his throat, looking darkly at him.

"You can give me your reason or I'll eliminate one of the monsters who killed Jeremy's parents." She growled darkly at him.

Uriah growled in return, struggling against Will's grip.

"Will!" Angelo said, grabbing for her shoulders.

Will barked viciously and Angelo was afraid she would lose it, when Uriah stopped his struggling.

"Fine." He said a bit muffled. "But first promise me you never tell."

"Of course I won't" Will replied angered. "I would be blowing my own secret as well! Now spill, you monster."

"Don't…Call me... A monster!" Uriah said, pushing Will away with a lot of effort.

"Why did Jeremy smell like you?" Angelo asked, getting a proper grip on Will, who struggled a bit.

Uriah softly rubbed his sore neck and glared at Will before sighing.

"I… He's the godson of my parents." He said softly. "He's more or less my little brother. The night he was attacked, I'd visited him because he wanted to show me his new train. I'd left because of my condition. But when I heard the howls I hurried to his address, only to be stopped by rogue wolves."

"You ran into rogue wolves as well?" Will asked surprised.

Angelo glanced at her and saw she'd calmed down completely. Her eyes were human again and he couldn't sense any hostility. He let go of Will, who only nodded a thanks to Angelo.  
Uriah nodded.

"Yeah. They apparently knew about my relationship with him." He said darkly. "But I've never seen them before."

"And when you smelled us, you immediately thought that we took those rogue wolves to Heatherfield." Angelo figured, getting a nod from Uriah.

"No, I got injured by them." Will growled. "So I can assure you that I'm not a part of them."

A silence filled the small alley, in which Will and Uriah looked awkwardly at each other.

"... Sorry." Will finally said, looking at the ground.

Uriah looked surprised at Will, not exactly used to getting an honest apology. Will looked him in the eyes and extended her hand.

"Sorry I attacked you." She said again. "I should've asked instead of concluding random things."

Uriah, still surprised, accepted Will's hand in the end.

"Yeah... Uhm... Same goes for me, red." He said awkwardly.

The two awkwardly released each other and took a step backwards.

"Uriah," Angelo then asked. "What are you going to do with Jeremy?"

Will looked confused at Angelo, while Uriah looked pensively.

"Dad told me to take care of him. So I guess I'll be making sure he won't run into any trouble." Uriah then answered. "Why do you ask?"

Angelo glanced at Will, who only looked as confused as Uriah did. He grinned a bit before shrugging.

"Well... Will needs some lessons as well." He started slowly. "So why not make a pack with us? That way you've got two extra werewolves protecting Jeremy and more help in your lessons."

Will's eyes widened surprised. Though she no longer suspected Uriah from attacking Jeremy, she did still hold a grudge against the guy.

"What?"

It wasn't her voice alone who'd said the word. She and Uriah made brief eye contact, in which they could read the other's discontentment. Both turned their gaze on Angelo, who immediately understood that it would be a no go.

"Like I would join matchstick over there." Uriah snarled angered. "One new werewolf is trouble enough. I don't need another one."

"What's going on in your head to ask Uriah!" Will exclaimed with the same anger. "He's immature, weak, a wimp and totally unreliable! Perhaps discussing these things with me beforehand would be a smart idea."

Angelo took a step back and held his hands in the air as defence. It was clear that the two didn't want to work together, though it wasn't because of the reasons they just mentioned. Angelo didn't know why, but he'd the feeling the two would really want to make a pack. Perhaps they lacked the trust in each other. He sighed in defeat.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He said. "I just made a suggestion."

"A poor one at that." Uriah added grumpily.

Angelo laughed a bit uncomfortable but then looked pensively at his best friend and the other boy.

"Well..." He said pensively. "If we don't make a pack, I still recommend to tell each other our werewolf names. That way, if we ever encounter each other, we do not give our identities to any enemies."

Will and Uriah shared a look and nodded finally in agreement. It was indeed better to prevent the possibility of their identities would leak out. Uriah extended his hand to Angelo, looking him straight in the eyes.

"My name is Draven. Draven Hissu." He said, getting a grin from Angelo.

Angelo took his hand and the two clasped them as a sort of greeting.

"I'm Rengar. Rengar Irraka." He replied, to the surprise of both Will and Uriah.

"You're an Irraka?" Uriah said surprised as the two let go of each other. "A princey-boy?"

"I'd rather have it that you just act normal around me." Angelo said with a smile. "And it's not really such a big deal."

"Not a big deal." Uriah echoed unbelievingly. "Of course it is! Rogue wolves bear a hatred to the royal families."

"Why?"

The two boys looked at Will, who'd paled a bit when Uriah had said that. Uriah shrugged a bit.

"I don't know all the details. I wasn't a werewolf back then." He said, trying to think. "But according to my mother, a young werewolf was exiled because he tried to kill the alpha of the Irraka and nearly succeeded. He later returned with a horde of other rogues, but was stopped because then the Rahu had joined the Irraka."

"But why did he attack the alpha to begin with?" Will asked.

Uriah shrugged, not exactly looking interested in the current topic.

"Dunno." He said. "Why'd you care?"

Will bit her lip for a second, looking at the two boys.

"Because my name is Tala." She finally said. "Tala Rahu."

The two boys looked shocked at Will, both with their mouths wide open. Angelo slowly recuperated, but Uriah shook his head.

"Impossible!" He said shocked.

Will looked slightly annoyed at him.

"Why's that?" She barked, before realizing that her anger was trying to control her again.

Angelo looked at Uriah and he could see the same confusion as he felt. It should be impossible. At least, if he believed the rumours. But he'd seen Will's unnatural strength for a woman her age and the fact that she got angry that quickly. They were indeed characteristics of young Rahu's.

"Because we've heard that there should not be a Rahu of your age." Angelo said calmly, taking in Will's reaction.

Now it was Will's turn to look confused.

"How come?" She asked. "Because I'm fairly sure my dad's werewolf name is Dante."

"Your eye colour match as well." Uriah muttered stupefied. "Which means he lied... But why?"

Will, completely at a loss, looked for more information at Angelo.

"Dante told us that he didn't have a werewolf child." Angelo said, hoping Will would not be angered. "He said that there weren't any signs."

To the surprise of both Angelo and Uriah, Will nodded.

"Funny, I've heard that before." She said with a nod. "Something along the lines that I never showed any characteristic of being a werewolf. I didn't know you could see it beforehand?"

The two boys nodded firmly.

"Kids, who will turn into a werewolf due to family ties, show certain things as they grow up." Angelo explained.

"Like favouring rare meat over well done." Uriah added.

"Or having an insane stamina for their age." Angelo said.

"Or having violent tantrums."

"But now that you say it, I never really noticed something extraordinary about you." Angelo said pensively, eyeing Will carefully. "I wonder why."

A new silence fell, in which the two boys eyes Will, who became terribly self-conscious and started to twirl a lock of hair. Suddenly Uriah let out a laugh.

"I never thought I would meet two royal werewolves." He said. "Being the sole werewolf of Heatherfield for two years and suddenly two royals walk in."

He turned around, nodding at the two of them.

"See ya around, your majesties." He said mockingly before disappearing from sight.

Will and Angelo stayed in the alley for some time, trying to process what had happened in those few minutes. The two then grinned at each other, knowing things would be a lot more interesting than they first thought and walked towards Will's apartment building.

"Say Will."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you believe Uriah?"

The two stopped in front of the door, Will giving Angelo a knowing smile.

"Ever since I became Guardian, I've been empathic towards animals. They can feel my emotions, I can feel theirs." She explained.

"But Uriah is human." Angelo countered, making Will shake her head.

"A werewolf is apparently, even in human form, partially an animal." Will said with a grin. "I've been feeling your emotions the whole time."

Angelo suddenly flushed and looked surprised at Will, who laughed at him.

"Don't worry. Normally I can filter them out." She said with a grin. "Though sometimes I forget about it and infect others too. So be careful when I get angry again, okay?"

Angelo nodded and realized that those times when he felt angry, was when Will had attacked Uriah. But that also meant that...

"So you felt Uriah's protectiveness?" He said as Will called for the elevator.

Will merely nodded before the two entered.

"Elementary, my dear Angelo." She said with a grin.

**...**

The night had fallen and the moon lit a deserted street in an unknown town. The street lights were flickering and there seemed to be no life going around in the street, when suddenly the lights of an old storage room started to flicker.

A car with dimmed lights drove by and parked the car out of view. The driver got out and lit a cigarette. He closed the door and walked with a steady pace towards the abandoned storage room.

The door creaked slightly as he opened it. Once he entered, he saw a table standing in a dim room. Several chairs, occupied by different people, were surrounding the table. Two chairs had a screen in front of them, which were positioned towards the table, with a webcam on top of them.

The occupiers of the seats all turned to face the newcomer, showing they were all wearing masks.

"Aribar, nice of you to join us." One of the masked people said.

The newcomer, Aribar, bowed his head as a sign of apology, and took another draft of his cigarette. He looked at the man who'd spoken. The man wore a devil like mask, completely covering his face.

"I'm sorry that I am barely on time, Jelan." Aribar said jovially. "But seeing that neither Artemis or Liakan are online, I can safely say I'm on time."

Aribar walked casually to his seat while Jelan muttered angrily about his behaviour. Though a true argument never broke out because the screens started to flicker and the masked faces of two people appeared. A woman with a brilliant white mask, which only covered her eyes, and a man with a red mask with golden lines, which only covered the right side of his face.

"Good evening my fellow Hunters." The man greeted friendly.

"Evening Liakan." Aribar greeted, sounding over the other greetings. "We were just talking about you."

"Nothing bad I hope." Liakan said with a laugh.

"Of course not, why would we?" Aribar replied, making the two men laugh.

He rest of the Hunters did not see the joke and of course, did not laugh. They looked slightly annoyed at the two, which made them stop. Liakan coughed a bit before eyeing the group.

"Now, what was the fuss? Why was a meeting called before the actual date?" He then asked.

Many Hunters looked around, wondering the same thing. Seeing that they did not know of the identities of their fellow Hunters, they also did not know who called the meeting. Jelan coughed to get attention, his eyes firmly set on Artemis.

"I called for an extra meeting." He said firmly. "Because I received some very interesting information which may, or may not, be a hazard for our deal with the werewolves."

"The only hazard there is, is the fact that we want to make a deal with monsters." Aribar simply said, sounding repulsed.

"Aribar, they are people." Artemis countered angrily.

"People who tore your brother Apollo in half." Aribar countered with a smug grin. "And still you want to believe in them."

Artemis scowled at Aribar.

"Apollo made a mistake and I have learnt a lot about werewolves. I understand why it happened." She snarled at him. "I may not like it, but there was nothing to be done. And if I recall correctly, you were supposed to give him the back-up he never got."

"Well that's becau..."

"Stop this!"

Jelan had gotten up from his seat and stared the two down. Both Artemis as Aribar scowled, but said nothing.

"We are not here to argue. We made the decision. We, the four Suns of the Hunters, decided to end our war with the werewolves once and forever. Artemis, I trust that the information you receive is truthful?" Jelan said.

Artemis nodded.

"Yes, and as you know, I will only give you the information once the alpha's of the leading clans give me the green light." She replied, getting nods from the others. "But what is this information you spoke of?"

Jelan looked grimly around the group of four.

"My son is, as you know, a werewolf." He said calmly, clearly stating that he would not accept any remarks on that. "And he told me he met two other werewolves today at school."

"You mean he bit one or two, right?" Aribar jeered, only to get two dangerous dark looks at him. He raised his hands in defence, clearly knowing he went too far.  
"Sorry." He muttered.

"No, these two are supposedly natural." Jelan said, though you could hear he was forcing himself to stay calm.

"That is possible." Artemis slowly said, not seeing where Jelan was going. "But why do you call a meeting for that?"

Jelan looked straight at Artemis, who felt slightly attack by his gaze.

"The two introduced themselves as an Irraka..." Jelan said, but even the mentioning of one of the leading clans made the other Hunters gasp in shock, except for Artemis who nodded.

"I know that an Irraka cub was sent to Heatherfield to aid a friend of his who recently transformed." Artemis confirmed.

"That didn't concern me." Jelan said briskly. "But the other name made a bigger impact on me. Seeing that both my wife, as well as you told me that it should be impossible."

"What's the name then?" Aribar asked annoyed.

A silence ruled the four seats and Jelan looked each participant in the eyes.

"Rahu." He said darkly, receiving gasps from everyone this time.

"That's impossible!" Artemis exclaimed. "I, myself, checked the kid for symptoms! There were none!"

"And still, there is a Rahu cub." Jelan countered. "My son told me that the cub had his strength, while the cub is two years younger than himself."

"Gender?" Liakan asked.

Jelan shook his head.

"My son didn't mention it." He said. "But I'm sure that he knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah, because sons lying to their fathers isn't anything that could happen." Aribar sneered, before shutting up again once Jelan glared him down.

"Artemis, can you explain why we don't know about this?" Liakan asked.

Artemis shook her head, biting her lip a bit.

"I don't know." She said. "But I do know tension increases whenever it a descendant of the Rahu or Irraka are mentioned. I shall inform and hope to clarify certain things by the next meeting."

With that her screen turned black.

"Well. That was a clear answer." Aribar said, getting up as well. "But I do think that that Rahu is the source of that attack from last moon. I'm sure of it."

"Don't point the blame on those who are still innocent." Liakan warned. "It might bite you in the butt some day."

Aribar nodded and waved behind him.

"Sure, but it'll be dead before it can even growl at me." He replied, leaving the storage room.

Jelan and Liakan looked at each other.

"I still can't believe you let him get a disciple." Jelan said annoyed. "He's a bad example of us Hunters."

Liakan shrugged.

"He was the most capable Hunter when Apollo died, and seeing that there was no evidence he let Apollo die, he was appointed as the fourth Sun." He replied. "And every Sun has the right to take on disciples."

"Still..." Jelan muttered.

"That's enough, Jelan." Liakan said tiredly. "I woke up at 3 in the morning to join this meeting. And I'm going back to bed as well. Good night."

"Night." Jelan answered as the second screen turned black.

Jelan got up and walked to the door. He turned off the lights and was just in time to see Aribar drive away. That man was dangerous, he was sure of it. He might be hiding behind his mask, but Jelan was sure that one day he would be exposed of what he was. The werewolves were no monsters, but he certainly was.

_**[A/N] Interesting, not? Finding out that Sylla is back, Uriah actually protects somebody, Hunters finding out a Rahu is walking freely around Heatherfield and that Will is empathic to animals. So much fun. xD  
Now you may have noticed, the four Suns of the Hunters also have nicknames to hide their true identity. Now I will tell you an interesting thing. Three of them are characters from W.I.T.C.H. who you've seen in either the comics or the cartoon. The last one is a character of my own. Now my question to you readers is: Do you know the identity of three of the Hunters? Tell me their name and nickname and perhaps you might win the chance of me writing a special one-shot according to your wishes! (Those who know a bit about it already will be put on the second place if there is someone who guesses correctly with only the information provided in this chapter)  
Review and see you next moon!**_


	6. Chapter 6 How to train your wolf

**Chapter 6 How to train your wolf**

"Morning."

Angelo and Susan looked surprised to see Will sitting at the breakfast table, having it already set up and even buttered three toasts, for each one. Will was already dressed and munching her own toast, while her eyes were primed on Angelo. Angelo grinned at her, knowing why she was looking at him with eyes that could look through you. He'd told her on Tuesday he had something in mind for Thursday after school, seeing that the girls and Matt had other occupations. Matt had to run an errant for his mother, Hay Lin had to work at the Dragon, Irma and Cornelia had to go pick up their little siblings and babysit them while Taranee said she would do homework. Will had been trying to figure out what it was ever since Tuesday, but Angelo had managed to skilfully dodge any and all attempts Will had made.

"You didn't spike my food, did you?" He asked, getting a snigger from Susan while Will pouted.

"Why would I do that?" She asked, her eyes wide. "I would never do that to my best friend!"

Angelo grinned and went to sit next to her while Susan took the other side. The moment Angelo grabbed his toast, he saw that she had only buttered half of his toast. As he reached for the butter, he noticed there was none. His eyes went to Will, whose eyes had a devilish gleam in them as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Where's the butter?" Angelo asked, trying to look as neutral as possible.

"You mean this?"

She held up the butter, just out of Angelo's reach.

"Yeah. That." Angelo answered dryly.

"I could give it to you." Will pondered out loud. "Or you could tell me what we're going to do tomorrow."

"I vote for the first option." Angelo said, but Will shook her head teasingly. "Aunt Susan!"

Susan sniggered and shook her head as well.

"Will, you're 16 years old. Start acting like one." She said, reprimanding Will.

Will grinned, but ignored her mother. She waved teasingly with the butter.

"So..." She asked him, but then noticed the gleam in Angelo's eyes, telling her he was not going to give up easily.

He slumped, but Will's instincts told her to be on guard. He was trying to fool her, but she wouldn't fall for it.

"Fine. Have it your way." He said, acting as if he was defeated.

An evil smirk formed on his face as his hand went to one of the pockets of his jeans. Will heard the tinkling of keys and her eyes widened when he showed her a pair of car keys.

"If you don't give me the butter, you'll have to walk to school." He said before pointing at the window. "Through the rain, without an umbrella."

Will glared at him.

"I don't care. Irma can stop the rain." She countered.

"Wouldn't that be very peculiar? I mean, they said it would rain until three o'clock. People will notice when the rain suddenly disappears." Angelo said with a grin.

Will lifted her lip, growling softly at him, while Angelo merely grinned, showing his own teeth as well. The two unconsciously acted more wolf-like when they were alone or when Will's mother was with them. Susan sniggered softly as she watched how Will pouted. She placed the butter on the table with a lot more power than was necessary and glared at Angelo, who smiled cockily.

"Well, I see you cubs are enjoying yourselves, but I suggest the two of you hurry up. I'm guessing that the others will be at the door within a few minutes." Susan said getting a glare from Will for using the word 'cubs' and a nod from Angelo.

"Mom!" Will whined annoyed, getting a snigger from her mother.

Her mother merely raised an eyebrow before placing her finger on her lips and pointing at the door. The two kids turned silent and heard the footsteps of a group of people nearing the door.

A knock followed, to which Susan got up and winked at Will, who crossed her arms with a grudge and stared angrily. She opened the door, revealing the four girls who all carried an umbrella, while Matt was wearing a rain coat.

"Morning Mrs. V." Irma said cheerily. "We're here to..."

"Pick up my bothersome daughter and friend." Susan finished, getting a new moan from Will.

She turned around to see Will and Angelo grabbing their coats, Angelo still grinning victoriously while Will was pouting.

"Wrong foot out of the bed?" Cornelia teased, seeing Will's expression.

"Maybe she's effected by the weather like Taranee." Hay Lin said, before nudging at Taranee, who also had a frown on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" Angelo asked.

The others shrugged.

"It's always a toss-up between Irma or Taranee when it comes to having a bad mood when it rains." Cornelia explained. "Though we've established that Irma only has a foul mood when she's PMS'ing and it's raining."

"Too much information." Angelo said, getting grins from the other girls and while Irma complained loudly.

Will went to walk next to Taranee as Matt took her other side, kissing her by a way of a morning greet. Before they left Mrs. Vandom smiled at the group.

"Okay you guys. Behave. I don't want to have Mrs. Knickerbocker on the phone again, okay?" She said, getting a depressed moan from Will.

"Mom!" She said. "I had my reasons."

"And you know how much I care about those reasons." Susan returned, getting an annoyed huff from her daughter, who muttered something about it being unfair. "Now behave and don't wreck your car. I don't think you want to sent it to the garage after day one."

Angelo smiled awkwardly at Mrs. Vandom as the latter closed the door. Not a second later all eyes were on him and he scratched the back of his head.

"Car?" Irma repeated. "What does she mean with that."

"It usually means a vehicle, used by man to go from one place to the other." Angelo said with a grin as the group walked to the elevator. "It has a metallic chassis while travelling on four wheels. And to drive it, the driver has to have a driver's licence."

"I know that!" Irma said annoyed, while Hay Lin and Cornelia grinned at Angelo's remark. "I meant...Wait, you've got a driver's licence?"

"And car." Will added while showing the keys.

Angelo looked surprised and touched his pockets, finding that his keys were no longer there. He looked at Will who grinned at him.

"How?" He asked.

"When you were teasing Irma." Will replied with a grin of her own. "Your pocket was open and with some tricks I could get it out."

Angelo narrowed his eyes before taking his keys from Will, who smiled innocently.

"You clever girl." He said with a slight glare.

Will grinned smugly, though both Taranee and Matt had glared at them for a moment. When the eyes of Angelo went to Matt, he immediately looked at Will with a forced smile. Angelo raised his eyebrow, but thought nothing. What he didn't know was that Taranee was still looking at him and she didn't notice that Will had seen her looking. Will felt her annoyance grow, but reminded herself that Taranee had a bad mood anyway, so perhaps it was just a coincidence.

When they arrived outside, Angelo led them to a black Chevrolet Avalanche. Everybody except Will looked surprised at it as Angelo unlocked the car.

"Wow. How'd you get that one?" Matt asked, apparently forgetting about his unfounded jealousy.

"My uncle sent it over yesterday." Angelo replied. "It makes it easier to move around and such."

"And you guys don't have to walk with us anymore." Will said, though this immediately increased the suspicion. She noticed it and tried to cover the damage. "I mean, you, Hay Lin, Cornelia and Irma have to make a detour. We can pick up Taranee along the way."

Matt relaxed visibly, as well as Cornelia and Taranee.

"And let you drive to school while the lesser of us have to walk?" Irma asked, sounding hurt. "I'm sorry for being in your presence."

"Oh Irma, I'm sure grandma will bring us if I ask her nicely." Hay Lin said with a grin. "And besides, you kept complaining about getting up earlier than usual."

Irma shivered a bit.

"Hay Lin. The next time I step into a car which is either driven by your grandmother, Caleb or Blunk, the world has to be ending and there is no other solution than to get into it." She said, getting laughs from everyone.

Angelo, though not knowing any of the three people, at least figured out that the three were awful in driving and grinned at Irma.

"And what makes you think I can drive?" He said with a false grin.

"I hope so." Irma replied. "But I could always give you a good luck kiss."

She ended with a wink, to which Angelo grinned awkwardly. He looked at Will, who's eyes were sparkling with mischief. To stop her from blurting out he was single, he got into the car, to which the rest followed his example. The ride was quick and they arrived at school.

The day went extraordinary normal. Uriah and Will met each other in the hallway, though they even didn't make eye contact. Nigel had told them during the break that his brother had gone back to his own school while Eric was talking with Hay Lin about when she could come and meet his parents.

When the last bell rang and the students packed their bags, Will had already sprinted out of the classroom. By the time Angelo approached he saw Will leaning against his locker, her arms crossed. Cornelia was standing beside her and the two were talking before Will abruptly stopped and turned to stare at him. Cornelia had her eyebrow raised but shrugged when Angelo approached.

"So you only sprinted here to make sure you could get a ride home?" He heard Cornelia say exasperated.

"That too." Will replied, though she kept her eyes on Angelo. "But I'm also going to show him around town. I can't babysit him every minute."

Angelo did not respond to the childish remark and got his stuff from his locker while the others joined the small group.

"So Will, what are you and Angelo going to do?" Hay Lin asked as she skipped alongside the group next to Eric.

"Like I told Cornelia, I'm showing him town." Will replied with a grin.

Hay Lin let out a longing moan, but Matt, Taranee and Cornelia sent a suspicious glare at Angelo.

"Aaaw! I wanted to come with you!" Hay Lin moaned. "Promise me you won't show him my place!"

Will held her hands up in defence.

"Sure." She said. "That's all yours."

"Yay!" Hay Lin said, hugging Will.

"Why can't you go with them, Hay?" Nigel asked friendly.

"My dad gave me a shift today." Hay Lin said, her face sad.

Nigel looked questioningly at the others, as if he wanted to ask their reasons.

"My mom made me Chris's/Lillian's babysitter for the Thursdays." Irma and Cornelia said in choir, before raising an eyebrow at each other.

"My mom is making me run an errant." Matt said grouchily.

"Too bad man." Nigel said as he shook his head. "I wanted to give you the schedule of when we practice."

"Dude, why do we have to practice so much?" Matt asked as he looked at the schedule. "We're practicing on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays!"

"What?" Will and Taranee said surprised, before glaring at Nigel.

Nigel took a step back and smiled at them, though that did not stop their glares.

"Relax. I just want us to be in top condition for Halloween." He said. "A talent scout is coming and that could mean our great debut!"

Matt let go of Will and grabbed Nigel by his shoulders, a smile on his face.

"Why didn't you say so?" He said, no longer sounding annoyed. "That's great!"

Nigel smiled at Matt before glancing at Taranee and Will. Will and Taranee looked darkly at each other. Taranee shook her head while Will seemed to nudge her head. For a second Nigel actually thought they were conversing with their thoughts, but quickly shook that thought away. That would be ridiculous. He heard Taranee sigh and Will hugging her close before both smiled at him.

"That's great!" Will said, though she seemed a bit troubled.

"But you guys still have time for us, right?" Taranee added, looking concerned at Nigel.

Nigel nodded and took Taranee in a gentle hug. He made her look upwards and grinned at her.

"For you, I make time." He said before he kissed her.

Matt had taken Will in a hug and she grinned as he kissed her.

"Don't worry." He said. "We'll have our moments."

Will grinned at him and kissed him again, though the four stopped when Irma took advantage of the situation and leaned against Angelo.

"Oh, I feel so lonely right now!" She said with an almost sad air. "If someone could hold me like they do."

Will glanced at Angelo, grinning broadly, while Angelo tried his best not to give into Irma's obvious question. He had the feeling she would kiss him before he even wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll do it!"

Will, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Taranee started to laugh out loud while the boys sniggered. Martin came from the crowd and had heard Irma's last demand, blushing slightly as he looked at her. Irma's face fell, muttering something along the lines of "Never gonna happen" while Angelo sighed relieved. Martin looked surprised at the group while Irma took several steps away from him as well as Angelo.

"Now there's the man of your dreams." Cornelia said with a grin as Irma glared angrily at her.

"Corny, I'm warning you..." Irma said annoyed, getting a glare from the blond.

"Don't call me C-"

"Ouch!"

Everyone turned around to find that Martin lay on the ground, due to someone bumping into them. That someone was now rubbing his head and groaning, indicating that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was looking.

"Uriah?"

The boy opened his eyes, still rubbing his head. His eyes looked a bit duller than usual and they quickly went over the looking people before they went to Martin, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Tubbs." He said annoyed before actually pulling Martin from the ground.

Everyone stared incredulously at him, Martin looking suspiciously at him. Did Uriah just help him?

That conclusion also seemed to reach Uriah's brain and his eyes widened, before he gave Martin a new push, this time knocking him over on purpose.

"Haha!" He said mean before walking past the group.

Irma was throwing insults at him and Nigel stopped Uriah, glaring at him.

"What's your problem?" He said angered.

Uriah sneered at Nigel, but he merely shrugged, his shoulders hanging a bit. His eyes went to Will, who returned a glare.

"Let's say I just wanted to see if his guardian angel would tackle me again." He said, though for a fleeting moment, his eyes went to Irma who was still swearing while helping Martin to his feet.

"I'm sorry, but I've got plenty of time tomorrow." Will replied with a growl.

Uriah merely shrugged again and pushed Nigel away before walking out of the gate. The rain had stopped over the day and they watched how Uriah kicked some water from a puddle at some first years.

"That jerk." Cornelia said annoyed.

"Will, you should give him another hit." Irma said while patting some dust off of Martin. "I don't think the previous one hit hard enough."

The others muttered similar comments, with Will ensuring them that she would do something like that if it happened outside of school. Martin talked her out of it, but thanked the girls for their consideration.

"Well, after this oh so nice encounter." Irma said rather annoyed. "I have to bid you guys farewell. If I don't catch my brother in time, my mom will flip."

"Same." Cornelia said as the two waved at the group. "See ya guys."

"OH NO!" Hay Lin said while checking her watch. "I'm running late! Dad's gonna preach me!"

With that she sprinted away, giving Eric a peck on his cheek and waving at the others, who grinned at her.

"I'm going too." Matt said, giving Will a kiss. "Mom's expecting me."

"I'll call you later on." Will said with a smile, receiving one in return from Matt.

He waved at her, as the three remaining boys walked with him. Will waved at Matt until he was out of sight and then turned to Taranee.

"Want us to give you a ride home?" Will asked but Taranee shook her head.

"No thanks." She said. "I have to stop at a shop before that, so you two go ahead."

"You sure?" Will asked, getting a nod from Taranee.

"Yeah."

Will and Angelo shared a glance before shrugging. They waved at Taranee and walked away. Will glaring at Angelo, who knew all too well why she did. Though before Will could even bother to pester him, they heard that they were followed. The rhythmic breathing, along with the footsteps were recognized by the two young werewolves and Will frowned annoyed.

"Why is she following us?" Will whispered annoyed at Angelo, who shrugged.

"So you want to show me the pet shop of Matt's grandfather?" Angelo suddenly said out loud, getting a raised eyebrow from Will. "How about you first show me some good places to get a sub?"

Will, catching on, nodded.

"Sure, I know some." She said as the two arrived at the car.

They quickly entered the car and drove away. Will stared in the right outer mirror and could see a glimpse of Taranee before they drove away from the school. The moment her image disappeared Will let out an annoyed groan.

"You would almost think she doesn't trust us." She said annoyed.

"I think she doesn't trust me." Angelo said with a grin. "But you should be glad!"

Will glared at him.

"Why's that?" She asked annoyed.

"At least they care about you." He said with a shrug. "I mean, they are pretty fierce when protecting you."

Will pouted and crossed her arms.

"That may be, but I'm 16 years old. I can take care of my own." She said a bit grouchily.

Angelo grinned.

"Well, perhaps Taranee and the other girls are still tuned in on your powerlessness." He said, getting a surprised look from Will.

""How do you know about that?" She asked.

"Hay Lin." Angelo simply answered with a shrug. "I asked her, seeing that the girls would never tell you."

"And she told you that they had to babysit me during our first year?" Will asked annoyed.

"Not really." Angelo said as he shook his head. "It's more that one of them always kept an eye out for you during the battles after you got kidnapped. That apparently shocked them."

Will remained silent after that, silently mulling things over. In the end she sighed.

"But still." She said. "I am capable of using Quintessence for about 2 years now."

"Which means they are really good friends if they are still keeping an eye out for you." Angelo finished firmly. "Don't worry, they'll warm up to me. I'm sure of it."

Will grinned at him.

"If you say so... So where are we going?" She asked.

Angelo grinned in return.

"The forest near Heatherfield." He said. "It's time for lesson number one."

**...**

Taranee cursed her luck. There were at least five different stores in Heatherfield where you could get a good sub and Will made no preference, which meant that they could be everywhere in Heatherfield.

Her phone suddenly rang and she picked up, slightly annoyed.

"And?" Came Matt's voice from the other side of the line.

'They're going to get a sub before going to the pet shop of your grandfather." Taranee replied. "But I don't know which store."

"Couldn't you hear it?" Matt asked.

"No Matt. They didn't speak of it." Taranee replied annoyed.

Matt groaned loudly.

"Isn't there a way to find out about his true intentions?" He muttered through the phone.

Taranee suddenly got an idea. There was one way to figure it out, but it was dangerous in two ways. If she got stuck in it or if Will found out. And she fervently wished that neither would happen.

"Matt, gotta go." She said before hanging up on him.

She could better go home and start her homework and perhaps get a slight nap, because she had a feeling she would need her sleep.

**...**

"Really? You made me curious for this?" Will grumbled as she followed Angelo through the forest. "Werewolf training?"

"You were the one to get curious." Angelo said with a grin.

"I still can't believe I have to do this." Will grumbled as she dodged a branch.

"Better learn how to control yourself now, than to hurt someone later." Angelo replied, getting a sigh from Will.

"Yeah, yeah." She said. "I get it."

Angelo finally came to a halt at a small clearing. He looked around and nodded content.

"Okay, I think this spot will do." He said to Will who went to sit on a stump.

"Finally!" She said. "I thought you were planning to get us lost!"

Angelo glared at her while Will gave him an innocent smile.

"So, what will you teach me today, oh wise one?" She cracked.

Angelo rolled with his eyes and grinned.

"Very funny." He said dryly. "But I think that we'll start with the basics and the guidelines of proper conduct."

"Guidelines of proper conduct?" Will repeated surprised. "You almost make it sound as if we're royalty."

Angelo shook his head with a grin.

"Not really." He said. "But after that little accident with Uriah, I think it's better that you know what you can do and cannot."

Will frowned and got up, crossing her arms.

"You know he attacked first." Will muttered at him.

"After you challenged him." Angelo replied, getting a glare from Will.

"I did no such thing!" Will retorted annoyed. "He just..."

Will came to a halt when she saw that Angelo's eyes had turned from brown to green. Though she felt no hostility coming from him, she couldn't help but raise her lip and be cautious. She even felt how something switched within her eyes.

"You noticed, right?" Angelo asked, sounding completely calm.

His eye colour changed back and Will immediately relaxed and she felt how something within her eyes switched again, looking surprised at him.

"What?" She asked confused.

"It's werewolf conduct to never show your wolf eyes." Angelo explained. "If you do that, you're practically asking for a fight."

"But I didn't..." Will tried to interject, but Angelo shook his head.

"Beginning werewolves don't notice it when their eye colours change." He said. "Perhaps now you just felt something, but you can't control it of yet. That's why I'm going to ask you to learn it."

"Why?" Will asked annoyed.

"Well, when you control it, your eyes won't change colour when you're angry." Angelo said. "Besides, it's really easy. I'm sure you know how to after the fourth try!"

Will raised an eyebrow, but relented. Under Angelo's instructions she closed her eyes. He'd told her that she had to find a way to change her eye colour. Every werewolf had a different way of changing their eye colour. He said that he imagined two lights floating in front of him. One being brown and the other being green. And if he touched one in his imagination, his eye colour would change to that light's colour. Uncle John had a simple light switch according to him.

Will frowned as she tried to find a way for her own. She'd tried copying Angelo's or Uncle John's way, but that didn't work. Then she remembered how she felt as if something flipped when her eyes changed colour. The more she repeated that feeling, the more it made her think of two fish, who suddenly changed direction in the water, making it splash. The moment that thought came to her mind, she saw a small pond which glowed a soft golden brown colour. As she took a better look at it she could see how a white fish and a brown fish were swimming in a circle, always keeping the same distance from each other. She slowly crouched and saw how the white fish had something engraved on its head which resembled to sign of a full moon, while the brown fish had a sign which resembled the sun. She couldn't resist the urge to touch one of the fish, but the moment her fingers touched the cool water, the fish suddenly changed direction, making small splashes in the water. Will looked surprised at the pond, because it slowly started to glow bluish white instead of golden brown.

Out of her surprise she'd opened her eyes, seeing Angelo grin at her while also feeling some apprehension from him. She saw him rummaging in his pockets and he pulled out a small mirror, showing it to her. Will grinned when she saw that her eye colour had changed and was surprised her eyes had such a strange colour. She focused again and her eyes changed back.

"Well done." Angelo said with a grin as Will repeated the process a couple of times. "And only on your tenth time."

Will heard his sarcasm and glared at him, but then she saw something in Angelo's smile that made her feel uncomfortable. He seemed a bit nervous and she handed him the mirror while giving him a questioning look.

"Is something wrong Angelo?" She asked him, wondering if she'd done something wrong.

Angelo scratched the back of his head, still holding the uncomfortable grin on his face.

"Ah...It's nothing." He said. "I just remembered something."

"What?" Will replied.

Angelo shrugged and grinned goofily at Will. She could see how he was preparing for something and she started to wonder what was wrong.

"Well...You see... Yesterday, when you were out with Matt." Angelo said slowly. "I had to get something from your room. And I may have, accidentally, never meant to really..."

"What, Angelo?" Will asked, now sounding clearly annoyed.

"I may have stepped on a frog of yours and I might have slipped, ripping it apart..." Angelo said, wincing a bit when Will's mouth fell open.

"Wh-What?" She asked him shocked.

"I never meant to!" Angelo said quickly and looked at Will's face.

He'd thought she would get angry but instead she sighed and seemed to calm down. She then looked at him. Angelo could still see anger in her brown eyes, but she kept it contained.

"I-It doesn't matter." She said softly, though it was obvious it did. "It's but a toy."

Angelo relaxed visibly. Will could keep her anger under control till a certain degree. But he had to know if she could fully control her eye colour change. So he grinned at her relieved.

"That's good." He said, eyeing her carefully. "It was old anyway."

"Yeah..." Will said, though Angelo could see she was now fighting to control herself.

"I mean, Ferro was an old piece of trash anyw..."

Angelo couldn't finish his sentence because Will had already jumped him, her face filled with anger. The two tumbled on the ground and rolled a couple of times around before Angelo ended up with his back on the ground and with Will pinning him down, giving him a look which could kill.

"Ferro!" She screamed at him. "You destroyed him! He was my first frog! Don't you dare to..."

Will stopped when Angelo, with some effort, managed to make her look in the mirror, showing that her eye colour had not changed. She glared at Angelo, who kept grinning at her.

"I think you know how to control it." He said to her, intensifying her glare.

"You never went into my room, did you?" She whispered at him, squeezing his wrists a bit.

Angelo winced a bit when he felt that Will was using her nails, but kept grinning.

"Nope." He replied.

"And Ferro?"

"Not a scratch."

Will sighed out of annoyance and pushed herself off of Angelo, standing up straight and glaring at him. Angelo kept grinning and petted her on the back, though she pulled back. She glared angrily at him, to which Angelo took a step back.

"That was low, you know." She hissed at him.

"Sorry!" Angelo apologized. "But I had to find out if you could control it properly! And I couldn't think of anything else."

Will sighed and sat back on the stump, pouting as well as crossing her arms.

"Fine." She said. "But please tell me the other things aren't like that."

Angelo grinned.

"Don't worry." He said. "The rest will be more fun, I promise."

"Then what's next?"

"Jump."

Will looked incredulous at Angelo, who grinned at her.

"What?" She asked him.

"Jump." He repeated.

Will raised an eyebrow and got up.

"Okaaaay." She said.

Will jumped a good four feet and landed again, giving Angelo a questioning glance. Angelo merely shook his head.

"No." He said. "That's just jumping."

Will frowned at him in annoyance. Angelo grinned at her and braced himself to jump.

"I meant JUMP!"

With that Angelo jumped into one of the twenty foot tall trees and landed on a sturdy branch. He leaned against the trunk while giving Will a cocky smile, who looked in amazement at him.

"Whoa!" Will guffawed. "How did you...? How were you...?"

"You can do it too!" Angelo called to her. "Just focus on where you want to jump and jump."

Will assumed a jumping position, glaring at the branch where Angelo was standing.

"Okay, focus." She muttered, bracing herself for the jump. "Just focus."

With that she took a leap and actually managed to get near Angelo, but her jump lacked strength and she missed the branch by inches. Angelo managed to grab her just in time. Will sighed relieved before giving Angelo a goofy smile, which Angelo returned.

"Almost." He said. "Not bad for a first time. We just need to practice it a bit."

"You make it sound so easy." Will complained before the cracking of the branch caught their attention.

Their eyes went to the base of the branch, which cracked the moment their eyes rested upon it. Will shrieked and closed her eyes. She waited for the impact between her and the ground, but found that she was caught in a set of arms. She opened her eyes and looked surprised at Angelo.

"How did you...?" She asked again.

He grinned.

"I grabbed you and landed softly on the ground." He explained with a grin.

"Another trick I can learn?" Will asked as she was put on the ground.

"Yup." He replied with a grin. "And I think you'll manage it quicker than jumping."

"Why's that?"

Angelo grinned at her before jerking his thumb at the tree.

"Cause you're going to practice jumping right now." He said as he went to sit on the tree stump. "And since I'm not going to catch you, you better learn how to land smoothly."

Angelo started laughing as Will paled a bit, but he then encouraged her to jump again. He sat a bit more comfortable as he watched how Will again, merely missed the branch.

"You need to use more strength." He said after Will crashed into the ground.

Will rubbed her butt, cursing softly and glaring at him. Angelo grinned, knowing that even though it did hurt, it was less than what a normal human would feel. He watched as she jumped again, this time terribly missing the branch by jumping over it with a couple of feet. He winced as Will failed to grab the branch and again crashed into the ground.

"Ouch." He muttered as Will got up again and tried again, missing the branch again. "This is going to take a while."

**...**

Irma sighed as she walked next to Cornelia. She'd seen her check her cell phone for the past couple of minutes after they'd seen Angelo's car drive away.

"Awaiting a text?" She asked Cornelia, getting a grin from her.

"What?" Cornelia replied. "N-No."

Irma raised an eyebrow. This was probably Cornelia's worst attempt to lie in history. Yet she remained silent and kept glancing at Cornelia as the two of them arrived at the primary school which their siblings attended. The moment the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, Cornelia's phone rang. Cornelia quickly turned around and checked it, but Irma managed to glance over her shoulder. It read: 'They're going to a sub and then pet shop. Got another idea. Tell you later if it worked.'

"You guys should really stop it."

Cornelia whirled around, finding that Irma was still looking at her cell phone. She glared at her friend, who frowned in return.

"What?" She asked annoyed. "You shouldn't read other people's mail."

Irma shrugged, ignoring the last comment.

"About Angelo." She replied, making Cornelia raise an eyebrow. "You should trust Will and accept that he's just a guy."

"I trust Will!" Cornelia countered. "I just don't trust him! And didn't it sting you too? That he's her best friend?"

She saw Irma's eyes darken for a moment before she shook her head.

"At first, yeah." She said. "But I mean, she had a life before coming to Heatherfield! Who knows what happened back in Fadden Hills. I mean, he's her best male friend, so? We are still her best girlfriends."

"Yeah, yeah." Cornelia said, clearly not keen on listening to Irma.

"Well, Corny, see it like this." Irma said, gaining Cornelia's full attention because of the use of the most annoying nickname. "If you don't trust Angelo, you don't trust Will's judgement. Did she ever gave you a reason for that?"

"Collins." Was Cornelia's short and annoying reply.

Irma winced as she remembered how they W.I.T.C.H.'ed their former history teacher nearly into a hospital, because Will had managed to convince them that he was indeed a beast of Phobos. It was one of those times she actually regretted for not having listened to Caleb, not that he would ever know.

"Yeah, but Will's a human, just like us!" Irma countered. "I mean, it's not like you're miss Perfect, right? Cause if you want me to help you remember the Peter – Caleb affair, I'll be more than happy to help you."

Now Cornelia cringed as she shook her head.

"Fine, have it your way." She muttered. "But don't think you actually won the argument. I just lack evidence."

Irma grinned broadly as her eyes went over the kids who left the school.

"You keep saying that." She said with a grin. "But I still won."

She then waved at her little brother, who'd seen her and who walked to her, while talking animatedly with Lillian. Irma grinned at her little brother before something else caught her eye. A lanky figure walked through the mass of kids out of the school and Irma raised an eyebrow as said person walked her way, while he was looking at his feet.

"What's wrong Uriah? They didn't allow you to regress back to primary school?" She sneered, gaining the attention of the teen.

Uriah immediately looked up and glared at her, before glancing at Chris and back.

"I was merely trying to find out if you applied here, Lair." He sneered. "Cause your grades are almost the same as mine."

Irma glared in return while Uriah merely walked by. Chris and Lillian had been watching the exchange, but they didn't really seem to be bothered. Instead Chris pulled his sister's arm, gaining her attention.

"Hey sis!" He said with a grin. "Jeremy will be attending school again next week!"

Both Irma and Cornelia looked surprised at each other before looking back at their siblings.

"How'd you know Jeremy?" Irma sputtered out. "He's one year younger than you!"

"I met him during a break." Chris answered with a shrug. "We ended up trading cards and stuff. He even showed me his model train once."

Irma seemed to relax for a bit and petted him on the head.

"If that's it." She said. "Now let's go home. I've got homework I don't want to do and you need to be the distraction."

"Or I'll keep on laughing while you're doing it." Chris said with a grin, before starting to run after seeing Irma's glare.

"Corny, see you tomorrow." Irma grumbled before chasing her little brother, leaving the two Hale's behind.

"So...Are you going to do your homework as well?" Lillian asked carefully.

"Nope." Cornelia replied. "I've got none. But I know you do."

Lillian sighed in defeat and Cornelia grinned at her little sister before steering her away from the school. Under Lillian's complains did the two return home, while Cornelia could only think of what Irma had said. Maybe she was right. Maybe they should trust Will's judgement. She shook her head and decided to wait for Taranee's next text before rethinking her point of view on Angelo.

**...**

"You can stop laughing."

Will looked sourly at Angelo, who was now hiding his mouth behind his hand, his eyes still shining with laughter. For the past two hours had she tried to reach the godforsaken branch, only to jump over it and sometimes right into it. This resulted to a black and blue butt for falling so many times and reacting too late to land safely and a small bump on the head. Now the two were returning to the car, with Angelo trying to contain his laughter.

"At least you can land properly." Angelo managed to say before laughing again, getting a foul glare and soft punch on his shoulder from Will.

"At least you can land properly." Will repeated in a childish and very annoyed voice, glaring at Angelo while rubbing her butt. "I'm not even sure I can sit properly anymore!"

Her glare quickly stifled any attempt of Angelo trying to laugh again, so he settled with a grin and patted her on the shoulder.

"You know what?" He said. "Because you did very well on your very first training, I'll treat you to a sub. How about that?"

As if on cue, Will's stomach started to rumble, making her laugh at her own expense.

"Fine." She said as Angelo opened the car. "I know a place."

"Great, cause I could use one!" Angelo said with a grin.

They took off, with Will occasionally giving some directions.

"Say Angelo." She said. "What are we going to do during the next lesson?"

"Well, I figure we'll do something about your smell, cause you can't go and make a face when you smell something bad while the scent isn't even close to where humans can smell it." Angelo explained, getting a nod from Will. "And I think we'll do some anti-Hunter training."

Will looked confused at Angelo.

"Anti-Hunter training?" She repeated. "What's that?"

Angelo gave her a wry smile.

"Hunters use dog whistles at day to find werewolves." He said as Will paled a bit. "You know our hearing has increased and we're also vulnerable for the high tones of the whistle. So I'm going to ask your mom to buy us one, so we can get used to the sound, in case a Hunter tries it when we're near."

"That's just dandy." Will said as she crossed her arms. "They can find us everywhere?"

"Only if you want them to." Angelo replied with a grin. "But for now, where do I have to go, left or right?"

"Right." Will replied, still a bit sourly.

"Come one Will." Angelo said, hearing his friend's mood. "It has its benefits."

"And those are?" Will said while Angelo parked the car.

"You can eat as much meat as you like without getting fat." Angelo said with a grin, getting one from Will as well.

**...**

That night things were rather calm. Angelo and Will had both gone to bed early, as to try and catch up with the sleep they'd missed during the last full moon. What they didn't know was that someone was waiting for this particular moment.

A bright flash appeared on the top of the apartment building where Will lived, revealing Taranee. She clutched her version of the Heart in her hand and checked her watch.

"Midnight." She muttered. "They should be asleep by now."

She held up the miniature Heart, glancing at it.

"How does this work?" She muttered again. "Guardian Unite?"

Nothing happened, except that the small jewel pulsed a bit more. Taranee frowned annoyed at it.

"Well...Great..." She mumbled. "How am I supposed to transform? Does this thing have a different code or what? If it's not Guardian Unite...What then? Fire Guardian Unite?"

At that the small Heart pulsed greatly and Taranee felt how the magic swooped her up, transforming her. Once the magic subsided, she looked annoyed and slightly amused at the jewel.

"At least it's specific." She breathed, hanging the necklace around her neck.

She then proceeded to sit on the roof in a lotus position. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, crossing her fingers.

"Now let's see what your true intentions are, Angelo." She said before concentrating on Angelo. "I just hope I enter his dreams and not Will's...I think she'll shoot me for it."

Due to the training the girls had had, they all had managed to increase their secondary powers. Irma could now manipulate more people for a longer amount of time, Cornelia didn't have to point at objects if she wanted to move them, Hay Lin could turn multiple people invisible besides herself, Will could make the voices of electrical appliances audible to others as well as control them better on command while Taranee could finally tune into the thoughts of others as well as dreams of other people. Though when she would try to read the thoughts of others, she would zone out completely because she needed to concentrate solely on that person. That's the reason why she didn't try to read Angelo's thoughts, because the guy was always near Will or Hay Lin and the two of them could easily realize what she was doing.

So instead of reading his thoughts, Taranee decided on peeking into his dreams. It didn't take her long before she found Angelo's mindscape and carefully entered it.

_She arrived in a big white hallway with loads of doors on either side._

"_I think he's dreaming." She said as she looked around._

_Suddenly music started to play down the hall, peaking Taranee's interest._

"_I wonder what's there." She said before walking to the source of the music, which ended up being a door at the end of the hallway._

_The door stood ajar and Taranee decided, against her better judgement, to enter that room. The moment she entered, the door slammed shut. At first she tried to free herself, but the door eventually disappeared, leaving Taranee locked inside the room. She sighed in defeat and looked around, finding that she was standing in a big white bedroom._

"_What the...?" She muttered as she walked to the bed._

"_Who are you?"_

_Taranee yelped in surprise and turned around, finding that Angelo was standing behind her, staring at her with a raised eyebrow. He was dressed in a pair of white sleeping pants and a black robe which was open._

"_I'm... Uhh...I'm..." Taranee stammered, not sure of what to do._

"_I've never met a fairy before." Angelo interrupted._

_Taranee looked confused at him, before looking down and realizing she was dressed in her Guardian outfit. A short moment of relief washed over her, because now Angelo could never know who she was and it would diminish the chance of him telling Will._

"_You're kind of cute." Angelo said as he started to circle Taranee._

_Taranee started to become nervous, the way he walked around her made her think of an animal circling its prey. Nevertheless she appreciated the praise._

"_Thanks." She said with a blush._

"_I wonder if I'm dreaming." She heard him say as he stopped in front of her._

_She watched with growing anxiety as he pinched himself, revealing he felt no pain. Since when do normal people wonder if they dream?_

"_Yup! Another lucid dream!" Angelo said._

_Taranee's eyes widened. What was the chance that she would encounter someone who was used to lucid dreams? She took a step back when Angelo gave her a creepy grin._

"_So, what to do first?" Angelo questioned, looking Taranee up and down._

"_I...I better go." Taranee said, hoping to get away before things got very awkward._

_Without a warning, she felt how Angelo's hand rested on her shoulder._

"_What's the rush?" He asked her, kissing her neck and sending shivers along Taranee's spine. "You just got here."_

_He wrapped his arms around Taranee, who now started to panic. Would it count as rape if it happened in a dream, she wondered. She tried to wriggle herself free, not thinking about her powers, as Angelo whispered in her ear._

"_You know, I like having lucid dreams." He breathed in her ear, unwillingly slightly arousing her. "Here I can do things, with a girl I just met, that I would never do in the real world. Like this." He said before he went and squeezed Taranee's rear getting a yelp out of her._

_Taranee broke out of his embrace and jumped away from him, eyeing him warily._

"_Don't you think you're rushing this?" She told him, trying to make a fireball but failing. _

"_Crap." She muttered._

"_It's my dream." Angelo said with a grin, approaching her again like a predator. "I can do what I want. Case in point."_

_With that he snapped his fingers, causing a brief flash of light. Once it subsided, Taranee saw a sly smile on Angelo's face while he looked her up and down._

"_Dang girl!" He whistled. "You're fine!"_

_Taranee looked down again, expecting to see her Guardian outfit. Instead she found she was wearing nothing at all. She immediately covered her body from Angelo's sight as well as scream her lungs out._

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

Angelo shot up from his bed in the guest room, grinning as he remembered his dream.

"Whoa." He said. "That must have been one of my hottest dreams ever."

He tried his best to remember the fairy he'd met in his dream, frowning a bit as he memory was already failing him.

"Though it feels like I've seen her before." He muttered. "Oh well."

Meanwhile on the roof top, Taranee lay flat on the roof, breathing heavily and shaking a bit. She slowly got up and shook her head furiously.

"Never." She muttered. "Never again will I enter a guy's dream! Not even when the fate of the world depends on it!"

She stood up and shivered one more time, remembering how close she was from literally being mind fucked. The worst part of it was that she knew all guys were like that, seeing that she'd eavesdropped on her brother a few times before that. Which meant that she had no proof that Angelo was anything else than an ordinary guy.

She sighed in defeat and teletransported back home, hoping that she could get a normal dream.

_**[A/N] First, thank you Lexvan. The last part was a genius idea of yours and I still laugh loudly when reading it. Anyhow, now that Taranee took a peek in a regular guy's dream, we can all safely assume that she'll never do that again. But what will stop Angelo from telling them about his dream the day after? And how come Irma suddenly has a point? She does, but still... **_

_**Review and till the next moon! Also, for those who survived the horrible date that's 12/21/2012 a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**_

_**And for the contest of previous chapter. Up till now only Lexvan and Bloodprince1234 have guessed 2 right. Will someone beat them? Next chapter will hold the result.**_


	7. Chapter7 When protecting becomes harmful

**Chapter 7 When protecting becomes harmful**

"Are you sure we don't have to pick you up?"

Taranee sighed, swiping the sweat of her brow. She'd called Will to check if Angelo had been telling her about his dream, but she'd panicked and ended up telling her that she didn't have to be picked up. Which wasn't such a bad idea. Will might not know about the dream right now, but she could know before they go to school. Or Angelo would remember it when he saw her. And Taranee rather postponed the moment where will would find out about the fact she'd broken Angelo's privacy.

"Yeah. Peter will pick me up after school. We're going to a movie." Taranee said, glad that she could accept Peter's offer, even though he'd offered it two weeks ago. He was rather surprised when she'd told him she'd accepted the offer. In fact, he'd even forgotten about it and Taranee knew he was still slightly suspicious.

"Lucky you!" Will groaned from the other side of the phone. "I've got detention…"

Taranee laughed uncomfortably while Will grumbled.

"Well, you shouldn't have hit him." Taranee reprimanded, mentally noting that she had no right to do so.

"Well, it felt really good."

Taranee could tell that Will was grinning and she just shook her head.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Vandom." She said with a grin of her own. "We need to get to school and you're keeping me from my breakfast."

"How'd you know I was grinning?"

"I know you." Was Taranee's reply, getting a snigger from Will.

"Well then, don't let me keep you from your toast with salami and marmalade." Will said. "See ya at school!"

"See ya." Taranee said with a grin before ending the conversation.

She then looked at her platter, where a toast with salami and marmalade was laying. She took it in her hand and took a bite out of it, wondering if Will and Angelo had the same bond as she had with Will. Secretly she hoped they hadn't and she also knew it wasn't exactly nice of her to think so, but she couldn't really help it. She didn't want her bond with Will to break because of her old bond with Angelo. Angelo was just too suspicious and she would proof it to Will, no matter what.

…

"And?"

Will sighed with a grin s she laid down the phone. Angelo had just finished his breakfast while Will's was still laying half-eaten on her platter.

"Taranee called." She said, getting a nod from Angelo. "We don't have to pick her up."

"How so?" Angelo asked as he drank his juice.

"She and Peter are going to see a movie after school." Will explained with a shrug. "And Peter wanted to bring her to school with his new car. She said something about him being proud about it."

Angelo grinned with an all-knowing nod.

"Ah yes. The pride of a new car." He said, getting a raised eyebrow from Will. "What?" He asked when he saw her looking.

Will merely shook her head.

"Men."

Angelo raised an eyebrow of his own as he watched Will eat.

"Say Will, can I get the keys of your house?" He then asked. "Seeing that you're in detention after school."

Will grumbled annoyed when she saw his grin and jerked her head to the counter, where the frog labelled keys were laying. Angelo grinned and took them, while Will finished her breakfast and they cleaned the table. After which they left for school.

When they arrived they barely made it in time for their classes. As Will sat down behind her desk in math, next to Cornelia, the two received a message from Irma, which was filled with giggles.

'_Girls, I think Taranee's rebelling again.'_ Was Irma's message, though it was difficult to decipher with all the giggles from both her and Hay Lin.

'_What are you talking about Irma?'_ Cornelia asked annoyed, seeing that the teacher was trying to explain something.

'_Taranee isn't here ye-… Never mind!' _Irma replied before more laughing filled the telepathic link, making the two eldest girls grin as well.

'_Not funny!'_ Taranee replied through the link. _'Peter had no gas in his car and I've never had to run that fast!'_

'_Why didn't you ride with Will and Angelo?'_ Cornelia asked.

'_Cause Peter wanted to be a show-off.'_ Will replied with a grin.

At this the whole group, except for Taranee, started to laugh, though Will and Cornelia managed to keep it hidden from the teacher. The next period was the same torture for Taranee, getting jests about her being late, her brother's forgetfulness and Irma recounting exactly, perhaps a bit exaggerated, how Taranee stormed into the class.

"I see you four are having fun?"

Irma nodded at Matt as the group sat with their boyfriends at a table for lunch. Irma and Hay Lin were still sniggering while Cornelia merely had a grin on her face and Will tried to cheer up Taranee, though failing miserably seeing that she still sometimes broke out in giggles.

"It nearly got me detention as well." Cornelia said, semi-annoyed. "For giggling in class."

"Well, there was nothing funny about the unity circle." Will replied, grinning broadly while Taranee groaned. "Sorry T, but it is funny."

Taranee gave her a playful glare.

"Just you wait, I'll have my fun." She threatened, to which Will replied with sticking her tongue out.

"Why are you laughing anyway?" Nigel asked as his arm wrapped around Taranee.

"Taranee was late for class!" Irma blurted out, laughing loudly after pronouncing it.

Hay Lin quickly joined in and Will and Cornelia merely grinned. Nigel tried to keep his face straight by nuzzling into Taranee's neck as a sign of feeling sorry for her while the other guys, except Angelo, grinned as well.

"What's so funny about it?" He asked confused.

"Taranee is a straight-A student and is never late… With a small exception." Will said, glancing at Taranee at the end of the sentence.

"So it's like a big blunder for her?" Angelo asked, getting nods from the rest, except Taranee.

He then placed his hand on Taranee's shoulder, who immediately looked up at him with big eyes. Something seemed familiar about it but Angelo shook it off and grinned at her. Taranee shook his hand off and hugged Nigel tightly, but Angelo didn't think much of it. Will, however, looked suspiciously at Taranee, who was now avoiding Angelo's as well as Will's gaze.

"See it like this." Angelo said friendly. "You are late once, the others can't say that. They don't have a streak they can break with a blunder, so who should be laughing at who?"

"Hey!" Will, Irma and Hay Lin said, glaring intensely at Angelo, who grinned sheepishly at them.

Taranee did grin, but still avoided his gaze. Angelo merely shrugged and sat back in his chair, starting with his lunch.

"Shall we change the subject?" Eric proposed, getting a squeal from Hay Lin.

"Oh! I know something!" Hay Lin squealed, immediately getting the undivided attention of the rest.

She turned silent when everyone stared at her, giving them a surprised look.

"Why are you all looking like that?" She asked them, getting frowns from the rest.

"Subject." Irma replied dully. "You had one?"

"Yeah!" Hay Lin chirped, seeing couple of her friends face-palming while Eric kissed her gently on her cheek while hiding a grin. "Last night I dreamt about a pony, which turned into a horse and then grew a horn, making it a unicorn! And then it grew these big butterfly like wings and asked me to ride it! It was so spacious!"

The others grinned with her, while Eric kissed her on the nose, commenting that she had cute dreams. Though someone wasn't too happy with the current topic. Taranee was eyeing Angelo carefully, waiting for him to tell about his dream. She had to find another topic before he remembered.

"Hey, you know what?" Angelo said, making Taranee feverishly think of a new topic. "I had one wacked up dream last night as we…"

"Hey did you know that Sylla has been walking around with a strange silver necklace?" Taranee rudely interrupted, gaining raised eyebrows from the girls and confused looks from the boys.

"T, Angelo was telling us about his dream." Irma whined a bit. "Let him continue!"

"That wasn't very nice of you." Will added with a nod.

"Yeah dude, continue!" Nigel encouraged getting a grin from Angelo.

Taranee started to panic inwardly, thinking of a way out. She let herself hang in her chair, making herself as small as possible as Angelo continued.

"Well, last night, I had a lucid dream." Angelo said with an all-knowing grin.

At this all the other guys, including Matt, started to pet him on the back, grinning like him. The girls looked at him for more explanation and Angelo felt himself redden a bit.

"So?" Cornelia asked him. "What's so special about it?"

Angelo scratched the back of his head and grinned goofily at her.

"Nothing really." Angelo said quickly, but the doubtful glares four of the girls threw him made him reconsider his answer. But that didn't mean he had to tell them the whole story…

"Well, I was in a clear white room, only wearing my pyjamas when suddenly a fairy appeared." He said with a grin, getting a raised eyebrow from the girls. "She had a dark skin tone and dressed in a colour scheme of pinkish purple and turquoise…"

Angelo stopped when the sound of a crushed can resounded over the table. He looked aside him and saw Will holding her can of coke, or better said, crushing the can. Her eyes were completely focused on Taranee, who was now truly hiding underneath the table. Angelo immediately had the feeling he'd said something wrong, though he did not understand what.

He wasn't the only one to notice. Matt scraped his throat, but failing to gain the attention of the others except Angelo. Matt saw him looking and nudged outside, to which Angelo nodded.

"Hey, Matt… Didn't you and the guys want to show me the courtyard of school?" Angelo asked, perhaps a bit too loudly.

"Huh? What?" Nigel asked, not really getting what was going on.

"Yeah." Will said, her voice a bit raspy and dangerously low. "You guys go… I have something to discuss with the girls."

"But…" Eric said.

"In private." Will growled, signalling the boys to get the hell away.

And they all listened. Taranee squeaked a bit, trying to take a hold of Nigel, but Nigel got frightened by Will's glare and was quick to leave with the other guys. They hadn't even left the cafeteria before Will's destructive gaze turned to her hand, where coke was still dripping from. She released the can with a lot of effort and shook the coke from her hand.

"Taranee…." She said, almost sweetly, causing Taranee to peek above the table and squeak when seeing Will's destructive gaze.

"Yes?" Taranee replied with a sweet smile.

"Does Angelo's dream, by any chance, sound familiar to you?" Will asked, her voice still light.

A silence fell upon their table, wherein Cornelia, Irma and Hay Lin looked intensely at Taranee, who was now furiously blushing and looking at her plate with a renewed interest. Taranee scratched her head, sometimes having the nerve to look up at Will before any ounce of courage left her and her gaze returned to her food.

"What exactly do you mean?" Was Taranee's careful reply.

Will's lip twitched and her eyes glared at Taranee with such intensity that the other girls were wondering how it wasn't possible that Taranee had combusted into flames.

"I meant, did you have a night time walk last night?" Will asked, carefully. "And did your mind wander to a place it shouldn't?"

A new silence fell and the three remaining girls were now again watching Taranee. Their heads kept turning between Will and Taranee as if they were watching an interesting tennis match, but the three knew damned well that if they said anything, Will would bite their heads off. And something told them that Taranee was not that gentle either.

"Hypothetically." Taranee said carefully, eyeing Will anxiously.

Will raised her eyebrow, but Taranee could see that her muscles were tensing. Taranee swallowed and looked at Will.

"What if… Hypothetically…" Taranee said slowly.

"Hypothetically, of course." Will replied, her voice light.

"What if… I know someone…Who coincidentally can also look into people's minds…" Taranee said slowly, tensing on her own with every word she said. "What if that someone went into the dream of a friend's friend, just to make sure he wasn't trying anything bad?"

The last part was said very quickly, but the four girls could understand it very well. Irma and Hay Lin gave Taranee a pained look, while Cornelia looked shocked at Will, who just completely crushed the can by hitting it with her fist.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Will cried out, getting up from her chair and glaring at Taranee.

"I…May have look…peeked into his dreams…" Taranee said in a small voice.

"'WHO GAVE YOU THAT BRIGHT IDEA?" Will bellowed at her, not realizing she was gaining the attention of the whole cafeteria.

"Uhm…Will?" Cornelia said softly, looking around. "You're gaining the attention of everyon…"

"I TOLD YOU HE WAS OKAY!" Will yelled at Taranee, clearly pissed and ignoring Cornelia, and the rest of her surroundings completely. "AND YOU WENT AND LOOKED?"

Taranee didn't seem to accept Will's attitude and got up herself, knocking her chair over in the process. She was now facing a red faced Will, with a glare equal to the one her best friend was giving her. How could she say that, after all they'd been through? Taranee had only wanted to help and protect her and this is how Will showed gratitude?

"I'M SORRY FOR ACTUALLY WORRYING ABOUT YOU!" Taranee yelled back in an equally loud voice. "IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL ANY BETTER, HE NEARLY RAPED ME!"

The three remaining girls turned completely red of embarrassment, not only because of Taranee's last comment, but also that if they hadn't gained the attention of the whole student body before, they did now. They looked at each other, surprised that their two friends, who were usually rather timid when not fighting evil, were now at each other as if they were each other's mortal enemies.

"YOU DESERVED IT FOR NOT TRUSTING ME!" Will roared back. "WHAT DID I EVER DO TO MAKE YOU DOUBT MY JUDGEMENT?"

Taranee's face only turned briefly to shock before her cheeks reddened even more and Will, as well as the other three, could see fire flare up in her glasses. In fact, the temperature was rising a bit more around their table.

"WHAT ABOUT COLLINS?" Taranee shrieked back. "YOUR JUDGEMENT WAS POORER THAN IRMA'S AT A FRENCH TEST!"

"Hey!" Irma shouted, clearly offended, though she shrank away when both girls glared daggers at her. "Never mind…"

"SO BECAUSE OF ONE MISTAKE YOU IMMEDIATELY ASSUME I'VE GOT A POOR JUDGEMENT?" Will shouted. "I'M A HUMAN TOO! AM I NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE MISTAKES LIKE THE REST OF YOU?"

"YOU CAN'T BLAME ME FROM WANTING TO PROTECT YOU!" Taranee returned.

"TARANEE. I'M SIXTEEN YEARS OLD! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MY OWN!"

"OH YEAH?" Taranee sneered loudly. "WHO GOT HER ASS TAKEN ON DAY ONE!"

"This sounds so awkward if you don't know what they're talking about." Cornelia muttered to Irma and Hay Lin, who could only nod with their mouths wide open as their friends were almost literally eating each other alive.

"YOU CAN'T HOLD THAT AGAINST ME, COOK!" Will glowered. "WHO IS AFRAID TO PEE ON TOILETS HIGHER THAN A CERTAIN HEIGHT?"

"THAT WAS A RUSE TO GET YOU TO IRMA'S HOUSE!"

"Yeah, sure. Are you telling me that YOU'VE BEEN LYING ABOUT YOUR FRIGHTS THE WHOLE DAMNED TIME?"

"OH, YOU'RE SO NOT GOING TO TURN THIS ALL ON ME, VANDOM! THIS IS ALL ABOUT HIM! IT'S HIS FAULT! WITHOUT HIM, WE WOULDN'T BE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!"

"AND NOW YOU BLAME IT ON HIM?" Will scoffed. "THAT'S RICH! HE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG TO BEGIN WITH!"

"ASIDE NEARLY RAPING ME?" Taranee growled. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM US? HOW DO YOU KNOW HE HASN'T BECOME AN ENEMY?"

A silence fell after that statement, in which Will looked hurt and shocked at Taranee, whose anger was now also starting to turn into shock, knowing that she just spoke of her greatest fear. Will looked at Taranee in a silence which seemed to be louder and more painful than the screaming they'd done up till now.

"So that's how it is." Will said softly, though clearly audible through the silent cafeteria. "If you think that Angelo would be enough to destroy our friendship then…"

Taranee's eyes widened in shock, not wanting to hear the next few words.

"Will.. Please…Don't…"

"Then I'm sorry you thought so poorly of our friendship!" Will cried out, ignoring Taranee's plea. "And it's better to end it! Taranee Cook, our friendship is over!"

Gasps resounded through the whole cafeteria, Yan Lin even dropping her spoon as she saw what had happened. Taranee's hands trembled with anger and crossed her arms, just like Will did when she pronounced that their friendship was over, and turned her back to Will.

"Fine!" She scoffed. "I don't care! I hope you'll be happy with your _best_ friend Angelo!"

"At least he doesn't go petty from jealousy." Will growled in return before storming out of the cafeteria, not looking back.

Taranee only turned her head when she heard the doors close. She saw Will's red hair through the windows of the doors but that disappeared when Will took a turn. Taranee looked at Irma, Hay Lin and Cornelia, apparently challenging them to reply. But they were just too surprised to utter anything but gasps. Taranee turned her back to her friends and took the other exit, running to the girl's bathroom, though tears were still absent from her eyes.

The cafeteria was silent, even after Taranee's leave. Slowly the usual noises were returning, though it was clear everyone was discussing what just happened. Irma looked at Cornelia and Hay Lin and said the only words that lay on their lips.

"She screwed up." She said. "Badly."

While the whole cafeteria was buzzing about the latest fight, Will was blowing off steam just around the first corner after leaving the cafeteria. She'd never wanted to punch someone in the face so badly and she'd been inches away from hurting Taranee. If Taranee hadn't been so stupid to admit she was jealous…To be jealous of Angelo…

"ARGH!"

"Blowing off steam?"

Will turned around, forcing herself from letting her eyes flicker, and facing Uriah, who was leaning against the wall a bit away from her. He grinned casually at her and Will was quick to launch at him, if a teacher hadn't been walking by at that moment. Will halted and glared angrily at Uriah while the teacher passed and Uriah could feel killing intent leaking from Will. He held his hands up high, indicating he didn't mean any harm, though Will didn't really seem to care about that.

"Calm down princess." Uriah sneered. "I'm not here to applaud you on the biggest bitch fight I've ever seen and I'm counting those I've seen on the annual gatherings."

Will placed a hand right next to Uriah's head and glared darkly at him.

"Uriah, as you might have noticed, I'm not in the mood of your silly games and name-calling. So if you want to keep your head on your body, make sure you shut up. Now and during detention."

With that Will walked away, but stopped when she heard a high-pitched note, one that annoyed her to no ends as well as made her hair on her neck stand up. Slowly she turned around, biting her lip to refrain herself from howling, and she saw Uriah blowing a whistle. He stopped when he saw her looking, which relaxed her immediately.

"My, not howling at your first taste of a dog whistle. Kudos." Uriah said as he pocketed the whistle.

"What?" Will growled at him. "Are you trying to expose me? Because know this, if I go, you will go with me. And I'll make sure they find you first, limb for limb."

"Ouch, puppy knows how to bite!" Uriah mocked, grinning when Will bared her teeth. "Relax matches, I'm not planning to rat you out. I'm merely helping you."

Will, surprised by what Uriah had just said, looked at him as if he'd come from a different planet. Uriah, realizing he'd just willingly told Will he wanted to help her, scowled and growled a bit.

"Don't think much of it." He said with a scoff. "You saved Jeremy and your friend's right. I can at least pay you back in some way."

"Friend?" Will replied, not-understanding.

"The black dude, who was with you the other day? I met him in the courtyard and we talked." Uriah said with a scowl. "And he's right, I should pay you back for saving Jeremy, so I'll cover your resistance for dog-whistles during our detentions."

"Won't that annoy you too?" Will asked, still flabbergasted.

Uriah shrugged.

"Believe me, if you knew my family, you would become immune to those things even before you turn." He said. "Anyway, my first tip is not to bite your lip. Not only will you bleed, it will also catch the attention of the Hunters, if they are here."

Will's mouth opened wide and looked surprised at Uriah, who merely shrugged it off.

"Don't get too used to it." He said before walking off, leaving a flabbergasted Will as the bell rang.

Due to her rather strange encounter with Uriah, Will had forgotten why she'd even run off from the cafeteria. That was until she saw Taranee passing her by in the hallway. Ever since then her mood turned dark.

That day Irma and Hay Lin tried their best to get Taranee and Will in the same room, while Cornelia tried to get them to talk to each other, but those attempts were futile. Will ignored Taranee and vice versa. Even Angelo seemed to get a cold shoulder from both women, which confounded him a bit. It was only after Hay Lin informed him did he know what was happening and he was wise enough to keep his distance between him and either of the girls. He did say his goodbye to Will before leaving.

Will waved to Angelo, Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin, and saw how Taranee was picked up by Peter. A small pang of pain ran through her, but she turned her back as she heard the heels of Knickerbocker clack behind her, signalling her to get to her detention room. And besides, it had been Taranee who'd broken her trust. It was not like she had been completely unreasonable. And the fact that Taranee still had her head meant that Will was rather good at controlling herself.

She followed Knickerbocker into the room where her detention would be, but that made her feel even worse. The room was the same one she and Taranee picked after school for math torture…tutoring. Her mood worsened when Uriah waved with his mocking grin, showing the whistle in his hand. Will looked at the ceiling while Knickerbocker gave them the rules of detention. Only one thing shot through her head as she leaned a bit back, already hearing the annoying high tone of the dog whistle. This was going to be a long detention.

…

Angelo sighed deeply as he parked his car at the apartment building. He'd never wished to break any friendships between Will and her new friends. He'd hoped they could get along, all of them. It was his fault that Will and Taranee broke up and he felt terrible about it. Though Hay Lin had told him that Taranee was jealous, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. He'd never thought that anyone would be jealous about what he and Will had. Sure, he could understand why Matt was being jealous. A man had to show his territory and Angelo respected that, though it seemed that Will didn't like it. But he'd never thought any of the girls would feel threatened. Perhaps Taranee was a werewolf as well, that could endanger a lot of things… Especially if she were to transform and Will would find out. Those two could pretty much eat each other alive from what he'd heard and he was afraid that, if Taranee turned out to be one too, they would actually try if their quarrel didn't stop.

Angelo shook his head as he stepped out of the elevator, grabbing for Will's keys. HE was over thinking this too much. In fact, he was sure they would make up before the next moon. Not only that, but he was sure Taranee was no werewolf. Will had had her parents over for a day and if she didn't react, then it would be impossible for Taranee to be a werewolf by family. He stopped his walk to the apartment when he saw a girl of his age standing in front of it, knocking relentlessly.

"Come on Will! I know you're there! Yannie wants you!" The girl, with rusty coloured hair, green eyes and freckles yelled as she knocked loudly.

"Can I…Help you?" Angelo asked as he approached the girl, who stopped knocking and looked at him.

A smile formed on her lips, one that reminded him of Irma, and she walked around him.

"Not bad, but not my type." He heard her say.

"What?" Angelo asked, confused.

The girl smirked at him but when she looked him in the eyes, her eyebrow creased. She looked him up and down once more, with a thoughtful look on her face.

"You wouldn't be a grandson of Joe Vanders, by any chance?" She then asked, surprising Angelo even more.

"Who are you?" Angelo asked, not bothering to reply to her question.

The girl grinned.

"Cassidy Chacon, at your service!" She said with a grin. "And you're a Vanders, right?"

Angelo nodded dumbfounded and Cassidy grinned.

"I'm an ex-Guardian. I worked with your grandma." She said. "But then Nissa went and nearly killed me, the Oracle putting me in suspended animation and then Nissa turning me ghost. And giving me my body back, so now I'm only a year older than the girls."

Angelo blinked a couple of times to let all the information sink in before he nodded, grinning now that he finally knew who she was.

"Yeah! Grandma told me about you!" He said with a grin. "I'm Angelo Vanders."

"So Angelo." Cassidy said with a grin. "Why are you here? If you're here for Will, then I think you've got to go another day, cause she isn't home…"

Angelo showed her the keys and Cassidy's eyes widened.

"How..?"

"I stay here for some time and seeing that Will has detention, I got the keys to get in." Angelo explained.

"Nice." Cassidy said and watched how Angelo opened the door.

"Wanna come in?" He asked.

Cassidy shook her head.

"Nah, if Will has detention I'll return another day. It's not like it's important." Cassidy said with a grin, before she suddenly frowned and shook her head.

"What?" Angelo asked.

"It's funny. I thought you said that Will had detention." Cassidy said with a snicker.

"Will has detention." Angelo replied, seeing Cassidy's eyes widen.

Within a blink of an eye, Cassidy was inside, sitting on the couch. Angelo looked surprised at her and she patted aside her.

"Come sit next to Auntie Cass and tell me everything!" She said, getting a grin from Angelo.

Angelo shook his head and closed the door. His grandmother, as well as Will, did know how to pick their friends.

…

Taranee felt terrible. She'd been to the movie with her brother, a comedy of his choice. And although the movie was funny, she hadn't laughed at all. And her brother had taken notice of it. At first he'd been laughing loudly, pointing scenes out and trying to get a laugh out of her, but slowly he stopped and occasionally glanced at her. Taranee didn't want to worry him, so she forced out a laugh once or twice, but it wasn't enough to fool Peter and she knew that.

Their way to home was silent, where the two did not even look at each other, though Peter sometimes looked through his car mirrors to see how Taranee was doing. Once they arrived at their house, it was evident that their parents weren't home yet, just what Peter needed. He closed the door and watched how his little sister went upstairs to her room. He went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea for the two of them. With the two damping mugs he went upstairs, hearing his sister on the phone with one of her friends.

"No Irma."

"I only did what I thought was good!"

"Are you reprimanding me?"

"This is the worst cheering up you ever gave, you know that?"

"Yeah, sure. After she apologizes."

"See ya."

"Knock knock." Peter said as he entered the room, just when Taranee threw the phone at the end of her bed. "What's with the long face sis?"

Taranee gave him a frustrated and forced smile as she accepted the mug.

"What long face?" She said, trying to hide what he already knew.

"You can't pull that on me." Peter said with a grin. "We've been to the comedy of the year! And you just smiled like you had a tooth ache. What happened at school?"

Taranee was silent as she looked at her mug. Peter watched in awe how the damp of the tea disappeared within seconds as Taranee took all the warmth from it, before creating a puff of steam by reheating it. She took a sip and Peter saw her hands trembling.

"Taranee?"

The cup had fallen from her hands and tea dripped over her bed and the floor as Taranee rushed at Peter, hugging him while tears rolled down her cheeks. Peter could feel that she felt terrible and he held her close. His sister hadn't cried since she was ten, so it was a bit strange for him. He decided it was better to wait with questioning after she was done with crying. Now she just needed the comfort.

…

Will walked slowly over the streets towards her house. This day was probably the worst day she'd experienced since she left Fadden Hills. Not only did she had a fight, a rightful one, with Taranee, she also had to experience a total of two hours of torture with Uriah in a classroom. And she'd been rather good, if she said so herself. She just needed to restock her supply of pencils, seeing that she'd been breaking them one by one to keep herself in line and not to start howling at school. Uriah had been grinning to see her struggle, but she had to grin that even he winced whenever he blew the whistle.

Now she just wanted to go home, sit on the couch with some tea, and watch television in the hope to forget everything that had happened today. She looked around, finding that she was walking through the same street she and Taranee usually took to and from school. Her mood darkened even more and she sighed darkly. Had she been wrong to yell at Taranee? No. Taranee betrayed her trust. If there was no trust, then how could they be friends?

When she finally arrived at her apartment, tears were close to falling. She had been mulling about it for the time she'd been walking and she started to feel more and more annoyed. Not just because of her own thoughts, but also because of Taranee's betrayal. She'd climbed the stairs and reached her apartment door. She was already searching for her keys until she remembered that she'd given her keys to Angelo.

"Angelo! Open up!" Will said as she knocked on the door.

The door opened, but Will found herself eye in eye with a smiling Cassidy.

"Heya delinquent!" Cassidy joked, but Will merely muttered and Cassidy moved aside, sensing the dark mood of Will.

But Will hadn't set two steps into the room before she heard some rumbling behind her. She turned around right at the moment Angelo tackled her. Great, she really didn't feel like toying right now. The two of them rolled over the ground, knocking down a table and a vase in the process. Their rolling ended with Angelo with his back on the ground and a slightly feral Will on top of him.

"I. Am. NOT. In. The. Mood. For. This." Will growled at him.

Angelo looked surprised at Will, whose face slowly went from feral to sad.

"Will?"

Will stopped stretching her arms and ended up laying on Angelo, her face on his chest. Angelo was surprised by this sudden way of hugging when he felt how his chest became wet. He look down, seeing Will crying on his chest. He looked stupefied at Cassidy, who shrugged, and he slowly placed his arms around Will and rocked her a bit.

Cassidy, also surprised by this behaviour, thought it to be a better idea to leave now and return later, when things had settled down. She had a feeling that this was about the fight between Will and Taranee, so she gave Angelo a silent goodbye and left, looking one more time through the door t see Angelo petting Will's hair and whispering things. How strange for these things to happen.

_**[A/N] Well… Does this mean the end of the friendship between Will and Taranee? Both seem to regret it, but both are also stubborn. Taranee was right for having the right to be concerned about her friends, while Will was right for telling that Taranee should trust her. Now we just have to see how things will turn out. Next up, a chapter under the fresh full moon of September.**_

_**Please review!**_

_**Also both Lexvan and Bloodprince1234 both came out first for the Hunter-guessing contest. So both can PM me for a one-shot or short story idea, which I will write.  
Congrats guys!**_


	8. Chapter 8 Who let the dogs out?

_**[A/N] Okay, seeing that this is the first full moon chapter wherein the werewolf names are used, I'm giving you guys the heads up. The moment a werewolf transforms he/she will only use his/her werewolf name, as well as the werewolf names of others. Call it a second instinct. So instead of seeing "(random lines)" Will said, you will see "(random lines)" Tala said. Therefore I'll give you the list of werewolf names (and Hunter names when they are exposed) before a chapter if used in said chapter. For now:  
Tala Rahu = Will Vandom  
Rengar Irraka = Angelo Vanders  
Draven Hissu = Uriah Dunn  
Dante Rahu = Tony Vandom**_

**Chapter 8: Who let the dogs out?**

September was slowly coming to an end, which did not do anything good to the relation between Taranee and Will. After their first outburst, many more had followed. They even started to get annoyed about every little thing the other did and in the end they didn't even lunch together. The people suffering under this were the rest of the girl and Angelo. The girls suffered because they could never mention the name of the other and had to lunch with one of the two. Usually Cornelia lunched with Taranee and Irma lunched with Will while Hay Lin commuted between them, though they occasionally switched. Angelo suffered because he was not only at the receiving end of Taranee's rage, but also got the annoyance from Cornelia and a bit from Irma.

Not only school had become unbearable, but the Guardian trainings had turned into a battlefield. There hadn't been one training where either Taranee or Will had laughed evilly at the others misfortune, which caused an all-out war between the Fire and Quintessence users, with the Water, Air and Earth Guardian in the middle of it. Therefore the trainings had been postponed until the two could get along again. And seeing that neither of the girls even tried to, the remaining Guardians tried. But every plan they had failed and they were close to giving up.

Now the first full moon was coming up and Angelo was driving the two of them to the forest. Not only had Will been complaining about it, but Angelo had been worsening her mood with trying to talk her into going to talk it out with Taranee on Monday.

"Come on Will, I'm getting tired of the glare wars between you and Taranee." Angelo pleaded, knowing his friend wasn't going to give in.

"Angelo, you know how I hate people who betray my trust." Will countered, getting a sigh from Angelo.

"But really?" Angelo tried again, sensing he was getting on a very dangerous level. "You two turned the Guardian trainings into a battlefield! Hay Lin ended up unconscious after your last training."

Angelo noticed how Will's hands were clenched and how he felt a certain anger build up in him and he knew he was pushing Will's buttons.

"I will not continue a pack without trust." Will growled at him, glaring at him.

Angelo nodded, realizing that Will's inner wolf was also taking some control concerning this matter. He only hoped that Will would swallow her pride at one moment, or worse things could happen than a knocked-out Guardian. He sighed and parked the car.

"Okay. You're right." He said, calming Will down. "Let's not continue this, okay?"

Will actually smiled and nodded, stepping out of the car and stretching a bit, as if she hadn't been angry at all. Angelo remembered that Susan had told him that all Rahu were prone to mood swings the closer the full moon came. Especially pups like Will who still didn't control their inner wolf, could be dangerous with a full moon, even with the Wolf Bane potion.  
Though he shouldn't be reprimanding Will on it, seeing that he had caught himself being more prone to mood swings as well. Friday he'd been joking with Hay Lin and Irma at Cornelia's expense when Irma had tried another attempt to flirt with him. He had snapped at her and left her actually shocked. He was lucky Hay Lin and Cornelia told Irma that she was being annoying or his secret would be closer to getting out.

Will waited for him to get out of the car, knocking on the window to snap him out of his train of thoughts. He quickly got out of his car and locked it. Will grinned at him and he himself also felt a little giddy. True, the first two times transforming had been a pain, but after that things had gone better and now he actually enjoyed the transformation.

"I didn't know that the forest would be this thick." Will said as Angelo started to lead the way.

"According to your dad, there should be plenty of food here as well as some farms. We won't be starving."Angelo said with a toothy grin, getting a chuckle from Will.

"Let's try not to deprive humans from their salary." Will replied.

Angelo barked a laugh, his skin already tingling in anticipation. He heard that Will followed him rather loudly and made a note to teach her the basics to hunting tonight. Because with this much noise, they would be lucky if they found an animal at all. They arrived at a big lake, which was normally no place people came due to the 'Stay away' signs around this part. They were placed to keep the wildlife from potential poachers, but Will and he weren't exactly poachers.

He turned around to see Will looking with interest at the lake and the open spot that surrounded it. She sat down on a stump and when she found him looking, tilted her head a bit, like a curious puppy.

"So, what will happen tonight?" She asked him.

"We'll transform." He replied with a grin, getting a sigh and a grin from Will.

"Very funny." She told him. "But don't you have things planned?"

Angelo nodded and checked the horizon. The sun was nearly down, which meant that the moon would be up soon. Too bad, he'd wanted to postpone telling Will for the sake of fun.

"Well, yeah." He said, receiving an inquiring glance from Will. "I'll teach you to hunt properly and we'll create our territory after that."

Will blushed a bit at the mentioning about the territory. He'd explained to her how it's done and that those things come natural, but Will found them embarrassing. Not surprising, but fun to watch.

"So….There is nothing to prepare?" She said, already smiling and leaning backwards.

Angelo's grin became wider and already a bit wolfish as he looked at his friend. Will seemed to sense his amusement and looked at him warily.

"I never said that." Angelo said as he moved to take of his shirt.

Will gasped and he just knew a blush was creeping over her face.

"Angelo! What are you doing?" She asked him, shocked and her voice filled with dread.

"Stripping." Angelo replied dryly. "It would be a good idea for you to do the same. Aunt Susan said she would not go and buy you new clothes if you ripped out of them. Said something about letting you go to school naked if that is what it takes."

Will reddened even more, her facial colour becoming darker than her hair.

"But…Strip?" She asked pained.

"Don't worry, I had the same problem." He said calmly while kicking out his shoes. "Heck, I had to strip with the whole family, including the females. But I got over it in time."

"But they're family!" Will argued, reddening as Angelo started to loosen his belt.

"So?" Angelo replied, pulling down his pants and causing Will to yelp and turn around. "During my first meeting I had to strip with many others, male and female. And not just from America, but from Europe, Asia and Africa as well. You wouldn't believe how far clans are spread around the world."

Will still seemed to be reluctant, seeing that her arms were crossed and her back was still turned to him.

"Look, you have to, or else you will insult the others. And not only that, you'll bring disgrace to your clan. And as one of the alpha clans, I think that is a very bad idea." He tried, which got Will to relent.

"Aw man!" She whined, clearly frustrated. "Fine, but don't stare me like some pervert, okay?"

At this Angelo threw his pants at her, which caused her to turn around and glare at him. Her blush had been diminishing, but it returned now that she saw that Angelo was taking off his underpants, leaving him stark naked.

"Sure." Angelo replied with a grin, enjoying Will's embarrassment. Now he understood why his uncle and grandfather were laughing about it.

Will turned around and a new sigh escaped her. Angelo already started with putting his clothes in the gym bag he'd taken along. Quickly the grey vest which Will had been wearing was thrown at him, which he caught and placed in the bag as well. Soon Will was standing on her bare feet in her underwear and seemed rather reluctant to go any further. Angelo could see a shivering running over her spine and he too shivered a bit in the September evening breeze.

"You've got to hurry up. The moon will be up soon!" He called to her, causing her to stiffen a bit.

"Alright! Alright!" She said annoyed and clearly uncomfortable.

She took a deep sigh and took off her bra, which she threw over her shoulder. Angelo chuckled a bit when the bra fell perfectly in the bag. Soon after Will's panties followed and Angelo closed the bag and hid it behind some trees. When he'd returned he found Will looking at the lake, with her back towards him. A wolfish grin spread on his face.

"You do realize I've got one fine view of your butt?" He said, causing Will to twitch in embarrassment and him to laugh. "And what a fine butt it is!"

Will turned around, denying him any view of her butt, but giving him one perfect view of something else he didn't mind either.

"Hello boobies!" He yelled, causing Will to yelp and try to cover her breast as well as her more private area.

Angelo laughed loudly, causing Will to glare at him. But with the blush on her face, she didn't look intimidating at all.

"Angelo! This isn't funny!" She told him, though Angelo couldn't contain his laughter. "I usually don't strip in woods! This is a whole new level of embarrassment!"

Angelo stopped, more because he knew her situation and knew that laughing wouldn't help her get over it. But if it hadn't mattered, he would have been laughing until the moon came up.

"Relax Will, you don't see me covering things up, do you?" He asked.

"Yeah…But…." She began to say, realizing Angelo was naked (how could she forget?) and giving the colour red a new meaning.

"But nothing!" Angelo said as he walked up to her. "I'm not freaked out about this because I got used to it."

He gently wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. She was startled at first and tried to jump away from him, but then the feeling of rightness settled in her as well. He knew things were strange, especially with their human teachings, but hugging someone naked this close felt normal for him. As normal it would have been to hug other with clothes on days without a full moon. Only these days his boundaries of what was normal seemed to shift and it seemed that Will's were also slowly starting to adept. Will stopped shivering and relaxed in his arms, even lowering her own. Angelo grinned. Will would get used to it, just like he and countless of others had done it before.

A happy sigh escaped Will, but for the life of her she didn't know why. She was standing butt naked in the forest, while her best friend was hugging her closely, also naked. Any sane and normal person would be shouting pervert and knocking him down, while searching for some clothes, but she didn't. She didn't know if it was because she was a werewolf or that Angelo's calm demeanour got to her as well. A tingling feeling announced that the moon was rising, but not strong enough to make her transform. She already could see a glimpse of it in the lake.

"Thanks Angelo." She said.

"You're welcome, Will." Angelo replied.

"And, Angelo?"

"Yeah?"

"You're poking me."

"No, I'm not."

"Not with your hands, no." Was her reply and she felt yet again a new blush creeping up.

Angelo stood silent after Will's last statement.

"Oh." Was his reply, not realizing what she'd said before figuring it out. "OH!"

He immediately backed away, not sure if he should be embarrassed or joke about it. Will seemed to enjoy herself over his embarrassment, which caused him to send her a playful glare.

"I'm glad you're entertained." He said while Will turned to face him.

"Well, it's good to know that Matt isn't the only guy I can get aroused." She said with a grin.

There was something about that grin that made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"And she's okay with being seen in the buff." Angelo said with a smirk, hoping to get Will embarrassed again.

But instead, the opposite happened. She started to walk to him seductively, her hips swinging a bit and Angelo's assumptions had been correct. Will's inner wolf had been aroused by accident and was easily taking control. Not exactly what he had planned.

"Why not?" Will questioned as she came closer, her voice a bit lazily yet filled with a sort hunger, causing Angelo's own inner wolf to react, but he managed to keep it down…But barely. "Besides. I can see that you're still up and at them."

With that she looked down with a smirk and Angelo knew what she was implying.

"Will, snap out of it!" He said, afraid not only she, but him as well, would lose control even before the moon was up. He now realized why it would have been better for an adult to be present.

At that same moment, the Heart started to shine and Will blinked owlishly and shook her head a little. Angelo sighed in relief as she took a step backwards.

"What just happened?" Will asked, a new fear within her voice. "Angelo, why was I planning to…to… To elope on my boyfriend?"

He had to hand it to her, she'd said it nicely. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at her.

"That was you getting turned on." He explained, getting a groan from Will. "And your inner wolf reacted to it."

"Will that happen every time I get aroused?" She asked. "Cause then I'll be joining a convent by the next moon."

This got a chuckle out of Angelo.

"Don't worry, these extreme things usually happen during or just before a full moon." He said with a grin.

"Oh brother." Will complained. "That's the last thing I need."

"Well, who can blame you?" Angelo questioned as he flexed his muscles. "I mean, look at me, woman!"

"Ego much." Will said, her hands placed on her hips.

Angelo grinned at her, but he saw her face fall from joking to hurt. What had he done?

"How come you're not acting the same way? Don't you find me attractive?" She asked.

That was rather unfair, placing such a trap before him. He blushed himself. He knew he felt nothing for Will…At the moment, but he wouldn't deny she wasn't something he wouldn't want to get his hands on.

"Oh you're hot, Will." He said, causing Will to blush as well as gain a little smile. "It's just that I learnt to control myself."

'And no way am I going to tell you how close this came to breaking my self-control.' He thought a bit with manly pride.

"Which I need to do as well…" Will said with a sulking look.

"Yeah, well. The Heart seemed to pull you out of it as well." Angelo remarked, getting a surprised look from Will.

Will looked surprised at the necklace around her neck. So that had been the extra voice behind Angelo's? It did calm her, knowing that the necklace would help her to remain sane, but somehow it also annoyed her. How was she supposed to learn to control herself if the necklace would pull her back anyway? Gently she took the necklace from around her neck. Immediately she felt the suspense she'd been feeling the entire day increasing.

"Will?"

"I'm placing it with the clothes." She replied. "If I ever want to gain control over myself, it has to be without the help of an amulet."

She saw Angelo nod and she went to the gym bag. She opened it and hid it underneath her shirt. She could always call on it, but the thought of it being stolen was still something she didn't like.

She was just in time back at the lake when the moon broke through. She and Angelo glanced one last time at each other before both started to stare at the moon. Will hadn't noticed it before, because of the window or because she just didn't think of it, but when the moon light shimmered over the trees and hit her, she could feel a warm blanket cover her, while a strange cool wind blew around her. Her whole skin tingled and a smile broke through. This feeling was so different from the first two times. She could feel herself grow and how fur covered her body. How she shifted to a shape which was more menacing for people than any animal could be. But the shifting did no longer hurt. It felt like transforming into a Guardian, with an increase in senses.  
Her teeth became sharper and bigger, her nails arching and becoming sharper as well.

Before she knew it the transformation stopped, but the warm feeling remained. Her eyes opened and she knew they were whitish blue. She looked surprised at her hands, still marvelling at how this transformation looked like, when she noticed something different. The last time she'd been around her Guardian form in height when she stood on two legs, and having the height of a Golden Retriever when running on four. Now she was definitely taller, she was sure of that.

"Tala? You okay?"

Tala turned around, finding herself looking at a black werewolf who was a tad taller than her with strong emerald eyes. She saw how the werewolf took a step back in surprise, just like she had done.

"R-Rengar?" Tala replied, finding her voice as heavy as the last time

The werewolf gave her a toothy grin.

"In the fur." He said. "And if you think I look cool, you should take a look at yourself."

Tala frowned at him, though she wasn't sure he could see that. She had actually been willing to not have a look at herself, seeing how Matt, Taranee and Irma had reacted when seeing her. Though Irma's reaction had been a bit fuzzy.  
She turned to the lake and got a look at herself. She was actually rather surprised. She'd expected to look like a deformed wolf, but instead she looked like a human with enough wolfish features to hide her identity. She looked like the ideal mix between wolf and human and when she grinned toothily, she admired her own teeth as well.

"Wow!" She breathed. "I'd thought I'd look like a monster after Irma's, Taranee's and Matt's reactions!"

"Hadn't you seen werewolves before?" Rengar questioned.

"Yeah, but I wasn't paying much attention to them." Tala admitted. "But now that you mention it…"

Rengar let out a barking laugh, looking at Tala with growing amusement.

"Say Rengar, I've got a question." Tala then asked, successfully getting him out of his laughter.

"Yeah?"

"Last time I was a lot shorter. Now I'm at least the size of Shagon."

Tala realized that Rengar had no idea what or who Shagon was and she silently prayed he would never find out either. But luckily it didn't matter, seeing that Rengar still got her question.

"The first moon you experience is the most violent one." He explained. "You turn for the first time and to avoid that your body actually blows up by the strain, you gain a smaller form. The second moon you'll get the form you now have. But brace yourself. Around the age of 21 you should be taller than this, between 10 and 14 feet or something like that."

Tala's eyes widened by the explanation in both surprise and awe.

"Wow." She said impressed.

Rengar merely grinned at her before his eyes went to the moon. Tala followed his gaze and found herself hypnotized by the fat golden globe in the air. An unexplainable urge started to bubble up from the pit of her stomach, slowly making its way to her lungs before it settled in her throat. She didn't have to see Rengar to know he was doing the same. Both of them tilted their heads upwards and opened their mouths, howling loudly and happily at the moon. Yes, this night was going to be a blast.

…

The moon just reached the height when danger would start. He could feel a shiver running over his spine when the anguishing howls filled the air. How could he have missed them those years before?

A rustling sound caught his attention, making him ready his two guns. No way that a werewolf would be jumping him. The rustling became louder and his grip increased. He was ready to shoot when the figure came out of the bushes. It was a man, who wore an oni-mask which covered the top half of his face. A cigarette was lit and hanging on his lips. He was further clothed in the usual Hunter garments, though a sun was embroidered on his chest. A shotgun rested in his arms and looked at him. He calmed immediately and lowered his guns.

"Master Aribar, you're late." He said relieved.

Aribar shook his head.

"No, Kiro. You are too early." He said. "It's dangerous to be out before the werewolves transform. Untransformed werewolves are usually close to the edge and are prone to attacking those who are too close."

Kiro hang his head. He still had no mask and only had a bandana to cover his face from the nose down as well as one on his head to cover his hair.

"But I understand, your first night is very exciting. But remember, we're only searching them tonight. If we're lucky we can kill one, but our prime objective is to locate them first." Aribar said lightly, making Kiro smile underneath his bandana.

"Thank you master." He said.

The master and apprentice started their search through the woods, wherein Aribar showed his apprentice where to look out for and how to move quietly. A silence fell on the two of them for a great deal of the night before they halted and took a pause to eat something.

"Master... I might have found something interesting at school." Kiro said after a long pause.

Aribar grunted and signalled Kiro to continue, who nodded.

"Around the beginning of the month something happened, which almost convinced me of someone being a werewolf but..."

"But?"

"I-I'm not sure. I mean, it was just a fight and I only heard it from others. And I know her..." Kiro stammered, seemingly troubled. "She's such a nice and caring girl... She can't be a monster, can she?"

Aribar sighed and placed his hand on Kiro's shoulder.

"Listen well, Kiro." He said. "Werewolves fake their human lives. While they smile at you, they think of a way to hunt you down and when they greet you, they are remembering your scent so they know where you are at any given moment."

He saw his apprentice's shocked reaction but there was still some doubt.

"How about this. During the next month, you use the dog whistle at school. See if she reacts. If so, then you know what to do."

The boy nodded reluctantly but Aribar wasn't concerned. Kiro would be the next true Hunter, the second best after himself. He showed potential, just like the two other apprentices of the remaining Suns, but his apprentice would show them how to follow the true code of the Hunters, which the others had forgotten.

**...**

The moment they'd transformed, they'd gone loose. Not that Rengar minded. Running like maniacs through the forest, while sometimes jumping each other in a play fight felt liberating. It was fun and without any limits made by mankind, he felt better than ever. Especially now that his oldest friend was with him to share in the experience.

After playing for what felt hours, their stomachs finally grumbled and a new instinct befell them. The moon wanted to see blood and their stomachs longed for filling. And they were happy to oblige.

Their entire hunt had been silent, seeing that basic hunting skills were mostly based on instincts, though Rengar occasionally pointed Tala to watch her way of breathing, moving and staying out of the wind. Their search had given them a small herd of deer. A mutual understanding settled between them as they split up and circled the herd. A stag lifted its head, thinking it had heard something. The two werewolves had stopped their movement at that moment, only to move again when it calmed down. Rengar had his eyes on the stag, knowing that it would be better to aim for a weaker looking one, but he felt like Tala could use the practice on an easy target and he liked the challenge.

A rustle of leaves on the other side told him Tala was ready and he bolted out of his hiding place, running on all four paws to gain his maximum speed and to minimize the chances of his prey running away. Tala had moved at the same time, though he noticed she was a bit slower than him. Not that it mattered. The herd had run amuck and his prey was running right at him. With a smooth jump he managed to topple the stag, but it struggled heavily. It was young and powerful and Rengar had trouble subduing it. His teeth sunk in the neck of the animal and warm blood was already gushing out, dripping in his mouth or seeping past it. He could feel how the mighty animal slowly stopped its struggle and finally how life left it.

He pulled his teeth out of the neck and looked around, finding Tala looking at him with the neck of an elder deer still between her teeth. She lay it next to his stag and licked her lips, grinning madly.

"That was great!" She breathed, causing Rengar to grin as well.

A silence fell between them as their eyes fell upon their food and the other. Who was allowed to eat first? If they'd been completely human, then they wouldn't have thought of it and just ate it together, but their wolfish instincts demanded them to choose an alpha. The only problem was, both were terribly stubborn and not likely to willingly give that position to the other.

Rengar went to stand on his two feet, towering over Tala, with his hair standing on end. His bloodied teeth were shimmering in the moonlight as he growled dangerously at Tala. Tala had taken his example and also stood on her two hind legs, finding herself on almost the same height as Rengar. She too growled dangerously and the two started to circle each other.

Without a warning they jumped at each other, growling darkly while biting at the other, slashing and clawing. Rengar seemed to out speed Tala, which gave him the advantage of dodging a lot of attacks, though Tala seemed to make that up with being on par with him on physical strength and having more stamina than him. Their attacks mostly consisted out of punches of kicks, though occasionally they clawed at each other and even bit.

When both their stamina was running out, they calmed down and looked at each other. Rengar had a long scratch on his chest which bled a bit, while Tala had a nasty gash on her left arm and leg. Both panted and a sudden realization seemed to hit them. Both gasped when they realized they'd done that to each other.

"Damn, you can pack a punch." Rengar said with a grin, falling on his butt and gently touching the scratch. He winced a bit when he touched it.

"You're so damned quick." Tala replied, gently rubbing her arm.

Their stomachs rumbled and again they looked at each other. Their gazes went simultaneously to their food and back at each other. Neither of them felt like fighting, seeing that they were equals and would only be pointless for them to continue.

"Truce?" Tala asked.

"Truce." Rengar said, getting up.

Both grinned at each other and started digging in. As they were eating they could hear a high pitched howl somewhere else in the forest and they grinned.

"Hey Rengar..." Tala said between her bites.

"Yeah?"

"Draven should be babysitting Jeremy, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And we still need to create a territory, right?"

Rengar grinned at Tala, whose eyes sparkled mischievously. He liked that plan.

"Ours should be bigger than his. I mean, we're with two uhm... teenage wolves while he is with a puppy. He won't need so much space." Tala said with a mischievous grin.

Rengar smiled. True, they could use the space and it was not like Draven could go against them. Somewhere he also thought of it to be unfair, to take a part of Draven's territory, but perhaps it could lead to a way to add him to their pack. Not that Tala had to know. That was something for his own agenda.

"Let's do that." He said with a grin, causing Tala to howl of excitement.

**...**

Kiro was annoyed. Not just annoyed, but bored and irritated as well. He'd been walking for at least a good five hours and he was getting tired, even though he'd slept during the day. He was covered in mud and hadn't seen or heard a thing after the first howls in the beginning. He'd already swallowed several complaints, knowing he should be lucky he hadn't met a werewolf in full hunt. According to his master, those were the most violent werewolves you could encounter. But that didn't mean he didn't want to see one. To take an aim at one and shoot it.

"Master, how long are we supposed to search..." Kiro started to say, only for his master to place a finger on his lips and silence him.

Kiro watched with interest and a bit of embarrassment how his master crouched and pointed at something a little further away. He could see a small clearing and he could hear the growls of things bigger than your average dog. He crouched as well and found his Master hiding behind some bushes. He went to sit next to him and gained a full view on the clearing. Two werewolves, though heavily differing in size, were fighting each other. Well, fighting. It was more that the bigger werewolf, who had an almost orange coloured fur, was sitting literally on the smaller werewolf, who's fur was brown with one long black streak over its back. The small werewolf had the size of a beagle and made several growling noises while the bigger one snarled only a couple of times to stop most of the growling and struggling.

"Now, lucky us." Aribar grinned, already preparing his gun.

"Sir, I thought we wouldn't shoot tonight?" Kiro asked, though he too grabbed his twin guns.

"Might as well exploit this chance. That young werewolf is making sure the bigger stays in one place." His Master explained.

Kiro grinned behind his bandana and took aim. He could see the smaller werewolf and to his surprise, the bigger one released him from his grasp. The tiny werewolf growl again, but the bigger barked threateningly, which caused the smaller one to whine and duck its head. The bigger one pushed him over and Kiro could hear him snicker. It was an interesting sight to see and he felt himself being enraptured in the ways of how these...monsters interacted with each other. The tiny one was now jumping the bigger one, but Kiro had the impression it was only to play.

He hadn't noticed that he'd lowered his guns until his master pushed them back up.

"What are you doing?" He asked harshly. "Your first chance is gone now. Aim for the big one and pray you kill him in one shot."

Kiro nodded, but before he could aim his guns again his master pulled him by his collar and started to run. At first, Kiro was startled and looked around, trying to see if he'd missed something. Then he'd heard the ruffling of paws and he saw how two other werewolves appeared, one black and one red. Each carried a deer and they glared dangerously at his former hiding place.

"T-Thank you." Kiro whispered, knowing that he'd been inches away from death or turning into a monster himself.

"Don't thank me." His master growled at him. "You missed an opportunity. Tomorrow we'll have to apt your training."

A soft groan escaped Kiro's throat. He didn't look forward to his master's punishment training. Though they had a benefit for him, they were a hell to go through. Yet he bowed his head in shame and his master let go of him, allowing him to run on his own or to be left in a forest with werewolves. Kiro didn't need to think twice to know what he had to do.

**...**

Draven looked annoyed at the two arrivals. Tala grinned mischievously at him while Rengar was still sniffing the air. Tala seemed to have a small gash on her left arm, though Draven had a feeling the gash had been bigger before. Rengar on the other hand had still a slash across his chest, which seemed to have closed just barely. He hadn't smelled a thing himself, and now the scent of the two dead deer was drawing his attention.

"You should be more careful Draven." Rengar growled, looking at him. "I'm sure I smelt something foul around here."

Draven scoffed and turned to his little brother. The pup was jumping up and down and came close to the meat, though one growl from him kept him away from it. He then proceeded by closing in on Tala, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here, Rengar, Tala?" Draven snarled. "This is my territory."

Tala grinned at that while Rengar chuckled.

"We merely came to see our neighbour." Tala said, though something about her behaviour told Draven they'd done more.

"We guessed you were hungry." Rengar added with a wolfish grin.

"And we wanted to see little... Does he have a name?" Tala then questioned, gesturing to the little one who was still curiously sniffing around.

Draven nodded, looking fondly at his little brother. Though he'd wished he wasn't turned, he still loved to have someone he could watch over...and boss around. He at least made sure to make himself known as the alpha of the two of them. Not that that had been a particular difficult thing to do.

"He chose Ares." He said, seeing how Ares reacted to the name in an instant.

Tala and Rengar nodded and sat next to each other. The fact that neither of the two seemed to be submissive to the other made Draven look curious at them. Rengar caught his look and shrugged.

"Both." He simply said, getting a snort from Draven.

"What?"

Draven looked at Tala, who seemed to be slightly annoyed to be out of the loop, but then again. This was her second moon, so how could she know?

"I was wondering which one was the alpha." He explained.

"So he would know which one to take down when we form a pack." Rengar added, getting a subtle glare from both Draven as well as Tala.

"Though I admit you both seem reliable, that doesn't mean I am willing to form a pack." Draven said with a scoff as he closed in on the meat.

He started to eat, after which Ares followed suit. Rengar nor Tala seemed to be prone to eating, though Draven didn't like the grin on Tala's face.

"Scared you'll lose?" She taunted, her tail wagging behind her.

Draven sent her a smile in return.

"Sure, says the one who is on pair with the only other wolf in her pack." He returned, gaining a growl from Tala.

Ares had apparently enough of eating and started to run off, causing Draven to curse. He gave the two werewolves one glance, who both grinned at him.

"When I'm back you'll be out of my territory." He growled at them.

He then followed Ares, making sure he wouldn't run into trouble. He found Ares halfway his territory, where he was sniffing confused. Draven looked surprised and halted, finding a strange scent in his territory. A scent that smelt similar to...

As if on cue, Tala and Rengar appeared again, this time facing them. Both grinned with their teeth visible, though their attitude told him that he shouldn't venture further.

He sneered at them, while they looked at him challengingly. They should be so damned glad that he had to watch over a pup that would end up killing itself or being caught by the dogcatcher.

"Tomorrow night." He growled at them. "I'll be claiming my territory back."

Both wagged their tails and grinned at him.

"Why not try tonight?" Tala provoked, biting at his front paws. He pulled back and growled dangerously.

"Don't think that, because you're new, I'm going easy on you." Draven snarled. "I just have other things to attend to tonight."

With that he turned around, grabbing Ares at his collar and dragging him away.

**...**

"He didn't look pleased, did he?"

Tala grinned at Rengar, who also seemed to enjoy himself.

"Does that matter?" She asked him before biting playfully at his ear.

Rengar pulled away and opened an attack of his own on Tala. The two started a small fight, wherein they either playfully snapped at each other or pushed the other away. In the end they wrestled, causing them to flip each other over until Tala lay on top of Rengar.

"Why does it always end like this?" Rengar asked with a sigh, causing Tala to bark a laugh.

"Just you wait." She said, getting off of him and sitting next to him, wagging her tail. "When I'm an adult, I'll beat your ass so that I'll be Alpha."

Rengar chuckled and pushed himself up.

"Please, you won't be capable of catching me by then." He said with a grin.

"We shall see." Tala said. "But come on! The night's still young and I want some more action! Let's play tag!"

With that she pushed him to the ground and made a run for it. Rengar barked and got up, being quick to follow Tala into the night.

_**[A/N] End of the first night. I hope you enjoyed it! Some questions? I hope so, cause else this chapter had been for nothing. You maybe know who Kiro is, or have a suspicion of who he is, but I won't be answering it until later in the story. Now we just wait and see what our little wolves make of their new lives.**_

_**Review!**_


	9. Chapter 9 The forming of a pack

_**[A/N] Names of all known werewolves:**_

_**Tala Rahu = Will Vandom  
Rengar Irraka = Angelo Vanders  
Draven Hissu = Uriah Dunn  
Dante Rahu = Tony Vandom  
**__**Ares = Jeremy**__**  
**_

**Chapter 9 The forming of a pack**

Susan sighed as she watched through the window how her daughter and her daughter's best friend rode off. The two had returned early in the morning and Susan had to pour the blackest coffee down their throats to wake them up for school. She couldn't let them skip school, it would be noticed. They'd returned looking slightly better and had slept for the rest of the day. Until she had to rouse them so they could go to the woods in time.

Will had at least given her a report of what had happened. Susan was glad Will managed to strip with Angelo gawking at her (Will's words, not hers) and judging by the blushes on the faces of the two teenagers, Susan could easily guess that the hormones also tried to take a leap that night. And seeing that the two could still look at each other, nothing bad happened either.

There was just some part of her that wished she could have seen it. To join into the experience and to be with her little girl. But then again, since when did she hunt with the werewolves? She'd stopped doing so since she'd gotten Will and even though a part of her regretted it, another part felt uncomfortable about it. She'd only joined in because of …

*Ring Ring*

Susan looked up from her thoughts and found the phone ringing. She quickly checked the clock, which told her it was 7 P.M. already and she wondered who would call her at this time. For a second the thought of one of Will's friends crossed her mind, but she calmed herself by reminding herself that she made enough excuses to keep Will away from school for a year. She reached for the phone, which kept impatiently ringing, and answered.

"Vandom residence."

"Susan?"

Susan relaxed for an instant, thinking she could save herself from lying to Will's friends, when the origin of the voice settled in her mind. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Thomas?" She replied, now not sure if she should be relieved.

"It's nice to hear something from you. You haven't spoken with me since that carwash." He said, sounding terribly pleased. "And may I remember you that I prefer to be called Tony?"

"With good reason." Susan replied annoyed, ignoring his last sentence. "Now is there a reason for you to call?"

"Susie, aren't we impatient? When's the moon coming up at your place?"

"John?" Susan said, now sounding happier than before. "Thomas, did you put me on speaker?"

"Why yes he has, Susan."

"Grandpa Joe!" Susan replied with a grin.

"Heya kiddo." Grandpa Joe replied over the phone. "We were wondering how things were going with Angelo and Will. Did they enjoy their first night together?"

There was some chuckling in the background and Susan could hear Thomas's irritated growl. Susan shook her head and couldn't help but to grin herself.

"I didn't get the details, but seeing the two don't burn up when looking at each other…"

"I told you the boy would keep things clean?" John said, obviously talking to Thomas.

"Fine, you've proven that point." Thomas replied. "I'm just glad my pup didn't get raped on night one."

Susan frowned.

"Yeah, your _pup_ is doing fine, seeing that her father is a backstabbing, lapdog of the clan's rules." She said darkly.

An uncomfortable silence fell and Susan felt strangely proud putting Thomas in his place. The silence became longer than Susan expected. She wanted to check if they were still there when she heard John talking hushed and surprised.

"She doesn't know?"

Susan raised an eyebrow and stared at the phone, forgetting they couldn't see her.

"I-I wanted to tell her in private... But Will was there the last time...And she just left afterwards." Thomas said uncomfortably.

"What did you want to tell me?" Susan asked, her voice filled with suspicion and fear.

A new silence fell, though Susan could hear a muffled conversation on the other end of the line. Her patience grew thin and she considered hanging up, thinking Thomas was merely playing a game with her, when he spoke once again.

"Susan...Can we talk about this another day? With no full moon? Neither of us have a clear mind now." He bargained.

A tensed silence fell, which Susan quickly broke with an annoyed sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"Fine, I don't think whatever you've got to say can make things any worse." Susan relented.

"Is something wrong, Susan?" John asked concerned.

Susan breathed a laugh.

"Will has an argument with who had been her best friend here in Heatherfield, just because that friend of hers is afraid Angelo would push Will away." She said.

"Sounds familiar." Joe said and Susan could hear in his voice he was grinning. "Don't worry Sue, things will be okay."

"I hope so." Susan said grimly. "Seeing that the Guardians aren't supposed to fight each other."

A new silence followed and Susan grinned as she could just imagine the faces of the three men on the other side of the conversation.

"SAY WHAT?!" Thomas nearly yelled through the phone, causing Susan to wince a bit.

A chuckle escaped her throat.  
"Got your attention, didn't I?" She said.

**...**

"Am I going to transform again?"

Uriah rolled his eyes and sighed as he pushed away some low-hanging branches.

"Yes."

"Will it hurt again?"

"No."

"Why can't I tell this to the others at school?"

"Because not all people understand it."

"Oh."

Uriah sighed and glanced back. Jeremy had been asking him questions ever since he woke up, much to Uriah's chagrin. The questions only revolved around last night and at first they were more accusations about how he'd subdued Jeremy in the beginning. Uriah had ignored most of them, still thinking about how Will and Angelo took almost all of his territory just because he couldn't defend it. But tonight would be different. After taking Jeremy on a hunt, he would go and reclaim his territory. As if he was afraid of two kids younger than him. It wouldn't matter if they were royalty, they were still younger them him and lacked experience. And with experience he would smack them down.

"Uhm... Uriah?"

"What?"

Uriah turned around, finding that Jeremy was looking at something to his right. Uriah followed his gaze and found a few pairs of wolf eyes looking at him. Panic immediately filled him. Who were those guys? Obviously they weren't normal wolves, which made Uriah even more anxious. Could it be that those guys were the same as those who'd tried to kidnap Jeremy last month?

"Jeremy stay behind me!" Uriah ordered, feeling the younger boy grab his leg from behind.

"I'm scared." Jeremy whispered.

Uriah didn't reply as his own eyes switched to their wolfish versions. He tried to follow several of the pairs of eyes, but they kept moving in such a way, disappearing half of the time and reappearing somewhere else, that it was almost impossible for him. His hand reached for Jeremy's arm. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared as well. He was known for his barks, not his bites. And he didn't have a pack. He didn't have others who could come and save his ass. He was alone.  
He mentally cursed himself for turning down Angelo's offer...Twice. Those two would have been a welcome aid right now.

"Hold on." He said, grabbing Jeremy under his arm.

With that he took the maddest sprint he ever made, running through the circle of werewolves that had surrounded him. With some luck he could make it to their territory. Perhaps then they would aid him.  
His eyes went to the sky, where he could see it darkening quickly. He just hoped the moon would be up before Jeremy and he were captured or beaten.

**...**

"Yannie, you never told me why you wanted to see Will."

Cassidy glared at Yan Lin, who just entered with a teapot. Kadma sat beside her while Halinor sat opposite of her. The two snickered as they shared a look, causing Cassidy to glare at them.

"You guys, this isn't funny!" Cassidy wailed. "You know something I don't!"

"What's new?" Kadma muttered, earning a new glare from Cassidy.

Yan Lin chuckled and poured tea into the cups on the table. She then went to sit next to Halinor and took her own cup, turning it in her hands.

"It's just about the fact Will teletransported back to her room last moon." Yan Lin said with a shrug.

Cassidy's eyes widened and a grin was formed on her face.

"Oh?" She said curiously. "Do tell. I mean, she couldn't have used her Guardian powers. The Oracle told us about that years ago."

At this the three elderly nodded, before taking a sip. Cassidy raised an eyebrow as the silence continued and started to tap the table with her fingers, glaring at each of her old friends, who all seemed to grin in return.

"Well?" Cassidy asked.

"Will indeed used Guardian powers." Halinor replied, causing Cassidy's mouth to fall wide open.

"No way!" Cassidy said shocked. "How did she break the rules? The Heart shouldn't have given her those, should it?"

"Halinor said Will used Guardian powers, but she didn't say that the Heart was the source." Kadma said with a mischievous grin.

At this Cassidy raised an eyebrow, looking confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Cassy, do you know Susan Vandom's maiden name?" Kadma asked, causing Cassidy to shake her head.

"Or does she, by any chance, remind you of someone?" Halinor added. "Someone from long ago?"

Cassidy was in the process of shaking her head before stopping herself. Now that they mentioned it, several features of Susan did seem familiar, but that couldn't be... Right?

"Come on guys, those things could also be coincidence." Cassidy argued.

At this Yan Lin nodded.

"True." She said. "That's why I went and asked the Oracle."

"And yes, Susan and Will are descendants of the Keeper of the Heart before Nerissa." Halinor said, casually sipping her tea.

Cassidy's eyes widened in surprise, before her lips curved into a smile and she laughed.

"Will is a Guardian's descendant? Just like Hay Lin?" She asked with a laugh.

At this the remaining three women nodded again, leaving Cassidy to chuckle as she looked into her tea. Slowly the laughing stopped and a new silence fell in the room. The moon slowly started to rise and shone through the window, illuminating the table.

"Do the Alpha's know?" Cassidy then asked, though this time sounding dead serious.

She looked at the others, who all shared a look, before everyone looked at Kadma. Kadma stared into her cup of tea, not saying a word before she realized that they were all looking at her.

"I didn't tell him." She finally said. "Not Joe, not John, not Angelo."

"You do realize things could go wrong when the Irraka find out about a spell wolf in the Rahu, right?" Halinor said slightly concerned. "It could lead to another war and this time the girls will be pulled into it. We had the option to ignore it, but they won't. Not with Will in the middle of it."

"Do you think they will stay together?" Kadma inquired. "I mean, the Fire Guardian is already in a war with the Keeper and that's just over the fact that she doesn't trust Angelo. What if she found out?"

"I don't think Taranee would betray Will for that." Cassidy said softly, her hand clenching around her cup. "She's a wreck already, just like Will. Those two need each other's support."

"They remind me of another duo that seemed unbreakable." Kadma lamented, eyeing Yan Lin from the corner of her eye.

Yan Lin looked sadly out of the window, knowing exactly about who Kadma was talking about. She closed her eyes, trying to forget all the disappointment she felt as she thought of the past. It was true that Will's and Taranee's friendship seemed eerily familiar to what she had had with her best friend, though she could only hope the past would not be repeated again.

"They are stronger." She managed to say while opening her eyes. One tear rolled down her cheek. "I hope."

A new silence fell as the four ex-Guardians looked into their cups and sipped them, none of them talking and all reminiscing the past. A sigh came from their lips as they all seemed to be lost in their thoughts.

"If just someone had noticed it earlier... Or if Joe had never mentioned it.." Cassidy muttered softly.

"You can't blame Joe for it!" Kadma snapped immediately. "It was not his fault!"

"I never said that!" Cassidy returned annoyed. "But if he had not mentioned L-"

"Cassidy!"

Cassidy remained silent and looked at Yan Lin, who looked now with hard eyes at her. There was guilt and sorrow in them and Cassidy realized she went a bit too far.

"We all agreed to never mention it again. Both for the sake of our sanity and the keep the past in the past." Yan Lin said calmly.

"Sorry." Cassidy said softly before turning to Kadma. "Sorry to you Kaddie. I never meant to blame Joe-Joe. It just came out a bit wrong."

Kadma gave her a sad smile.

"Don't worry. I'm quite used to that." She said, causing a small grin on the lips of her friends.

"But now that you mentioned _it_." Halinor said, gaining a couple of tensed glares. "The Oracle wondered if you could go to the world where _it_ is. Werewolves have appeared there as well and Queen Elyon is reluctant to ask the Guardians for help."

Cassidy groaned.  
"Why?" She asked. "Why wouldn't she ask the girls?"

"She can't keep on relying on them. What if they are on a mission somewhere else? She needs to learn how to handle things on her own." Kadma said a bit disapprovingly.

"That are her reasons yes." Halinor said with a nod. "But the Oracle would like to see you there, seeing that you've got information about them and more spare time than any of us."

Cassidy seemed to be willing to argue about that, probably wanting to say something about school, but a swift kick under the table from Halinor made her shut up and groan in pain. Halinor gave her a sweet smile while she glared at the woman, before Halinor continued.

"And she has found the book."

At this Yan Lin, Kadma and Cassidy's eyes widened before Cassidy groaned again.

"Really guys?" She asked annoyed. "You left the book in that library? We've been to so many worlds and instead of either keeping it or giving it to a world renowned for its library, you left it in the Royal library of Meridian?"

At this Yan Lin shrugged a bit.  
"Well sorry, but seeing who one of the writers was and the time when we decided to leave it there, you can't really blame us." She said, getting nods from both Kadma and Halinor.

Cassidy sighed.  
"Fine. I'll go." She agreed. "When is someone going to pick me up? Or do I have to ask Will to fold me?"

Halinor grinned and sipped her tea again.  
"Tomorrow after school, so no skipping it, Blunk will come to pick you up." She said calmly, gaining a new groan from Cassidy. "You will return everyday to go to school before leaving again for Meridian."

"And my homework?" Cassidy asked, seeing if she could still find a way for some free time.

"You could ask Taranee to do it for you, though considering the current circumstances, I think that wouldn't be a good idea." Halinor proposed.

"Or you could make it in the Royal library." Kadma said with a grin. "Because we all know how much you love to study."

Cassidy stuck her tongue out, causing the small group to laugh. Cassidy hadn't changed during her time in suspension and luckily for the group that was just what they needed.

**...**

A long howl resounded through the woods and Tala and Rengar grinned at each other. Both stretched a bit and wagged their tails. They'd been longing for this moment of the day. Gone were the worries of school and friends. The only thing that was on their mind was what they should eat this night.

"So... I propose we hunt some rabbits." Rengar said with a grin. "I haven't had those for a while."

Tala shook her head.  
"I fancy chicken." She replied.

"But I want rabbits."

"Chicken."

"Rabbits."

"Chicken."

"Rabbits."

The two fell silent and glared at each other. Seeing that they were equals, neither could pull rank on the other.

"Fancy another fight for what we'll eat tonight?" Tala asked Rengar, while she already went to stand on her two hind legs.

Rengar seemed to think about the proposal as he too got up on his two feet, though his right claw went over his chest where still the claw marks from yesterday were. They'd found it in the morning, thinking it was strange that he'd kept the wounds of their fight while Will was completely healed. It hadn't hurt him during the day, but it kind of frightened him.

"If you don't mind, I want to refrain from gaining extra wounds I have to explain during gym." He replied, getting a barking laugh from Tala. "How about a simple rock, paper, scissors?"

Tala frowned at him, apparently preferring the fight over the childish game, but in the end she agreed. The two glared intensely at each other as they prepared their fists.

"Rock." Tala said as their hands went up and down the first time.

"Paper." Rengar said during the second time.

"Scis-"

The two stopped their game when a strange howl was heard from another part of the forest. It were two short and one long high pitched howl, all belonging to the same werewolf. Rengar frowned when he'd heard it, not recalling it as one of the generic howls werewolves would use, but Tala was already on her four paws and rushing away.

"Tala! What are you doing?" Rengar yelled as he started to follow her.

"That sounded like a young werewolf." Tala growled at him, though he could hear she was anxious. "I think it was Ares."

"Ares?" Rengar replied surprised. "Tala, it could be a trap by a Hunter."

Tala's eyes darkened.  
"We'll cross that bridge if we get there." She said, implying that she wouldn't listen to him and even started to pick up the pace.

**...**

Draven panted loudly as he tried to dodge yet another attack. He had been right, the humans from before were hostile werewolves. Even worse, they were Rogues. He growled angrily, silently cursing himself for not accepting the pack Rengar had suggested, when he heard Ares howl.

The two short howls, followed by a long one were a sign of panic. He didn't know what to do, seeing that Draven had yet to teach him the official howls. Draven's heart thundered when he saw that one of the Rogues, one with brown fur and a black stripe similar to Ares, jumped Ares. With a strong jump Draven managed to reach Ares in time and pull him away, only to be tackled by another Rogue.

Both Ares and Draven fell to the ground. Ares whimpered, afraid and in pain, while Draven got up. He trembled on his paws, but still managed to stand on his two feet. It would have been impressive if he wasn't trembling and if he didn't have a bleeding gash on his head. The Rogues circled them again and Draven knew he was done for. They were with at least fifteen werewolves surrounding him and with him injured, the chances of running were pretty much reduced to zero.

One of the Rogues stepped forward and judging by the size, Draven would say he was facing someone of his own age. This werewolf had black fur and green eyes, but he had a red strike over his back, indicating a Rahu or another clan with red hair had turned him. The smirk on his face was dangerous and Draven took a step back.

"Well. Well. Well." The werewolf taunted. "The lone werewolf of Heatherfield. I believe you have something that belongs to us."

At this Jeremy whined again, causing Draven to straighten his back.  
"Forget it." He hissed.

The werewolf shook his head tragically before suddenly slamming Draven to the ground with a strong right hook. Draven shook his head, seeing stars for a little while.

"Too bad." The werewolf said as if nothing had happened. "I don't know why you're being this defiant. You have no pack. No one will save you. No one will come. Why don't you just give up on your clan and join us? Our alpha can give you great power."

Draven struggled to get up, spitting at the comment.  
"Please." He struggled. "In contrary to you, I _like_ and _respect_ my clan. And... Oh look!"

He'd never thought it would work, but every Rogue surrounding him turned their head, which gave Draven enough time to grab onto Ares and take another sprint, though not before he paid back the pack leader by hitting him with all his might in the gut.. Or so he thought. He hadn't run seven steps before the current leader of this pack kicked him to the ground, now placing his foot on his head.

"That wasn't very smart." The werewolf growled at him.

Draven still snorted.  
"Wouldn't be my first time." He growled in return, only for the other werewolf to kick his head further into the ground, causing him to whine in pain.

"Let him go!"

Draven could hear Ares struggle and he tried to get a better look, if it weren't for the foot keeping him half in the ground.

"Ares, stay away!" He warned.

"Ares?" The werewolf above him repeated. "A strong name for such a little boy. But don't worry, he'll grow to be a powerful warrior to honour that name."

"Don't you dare touching h-" Draven growled as he tried to push himself back up, only for the werewolf to howl in laughter.

"And who is going to stop me?" He taunted, raising his foot ever so slightly before kicking it right back in Draven's face. "Hmm? You mangy mutt!"

"STOP IT!"

Draven heard a sudden shriek of surprise and the sudden appearance of light caught him, as well as his tormenter off guard. The bright light swooped over him and he heard his tormenter wail in pain while recoiling away. Now that Draven could look up, he noticed several almost burned out flames around him and Ares, who was now looking extremely exhausted and who was trembling. He approached Draven on his four paws, seeing if he was okay. Draven breathed painfully and gave him a lopsided grin, which caused him to wince in pain. He was happy if the wounds he had now resided to a black eye tomorrow. Because now he was pretty sure he had a bruised or perhaps even a cracked jaw and a very, _very_ bruised eye. And with the pounding feeling that accompanied it, he was surprised his skull hadn't cracked.

"Damn it! The pup knows!" He heard another werewolf growl.

"Should we kill him?" A different one questioned unsure. "His caretaker is down."

The werewolf, who had been tormenting Draven, growled now as well and Draven could smell the stench of burnt fur.

"No." He growled angered. "We take him now. He's too weak to do it again."

Draven tried to make himself big again, but the pack's leader pushed him away.

"No!" He whimpered out loud, too weak to stand.

"NO!"

His eyes widened as he saw two new werewolves entered the scene. One as black as the night with eyes as green as grass, while the other's fur colour challenged the colour of the blood dripping down his face and her eyes could be compared with lightning.

The Rogue pack leader growled at the two newcomers, not expecting a Rahu and an Irraka to arrive here. In fact, he didn't even know they were here at all.

"Who are you?" He bellowed annoyed, seeing how the red one went to stand over Ares while the other checked on Draven.

"The one who is going to kick your sorry ass to whatever hole you crawled out of!" The Rahu growled dangerously, now standing on her two feet.

"I second that." The Irraka said, standing on two feet as well as standing in an attack position.

The pack leader barked a laugh.  
"Hehehe. Funny." He glowered. "Kill them."

The Rogues obeyed the command immediately and stormed at the two new werewolves, but they seemed prepared. The small group that attack the Irraka were quickly thrown away, either by being punched or kicked with deadly precision or being flung away with an actual judo throw. The Irraka was using martial arts against them! At first that did not face the werewolves, who got back up and tried again, but soon it turned out they were no match for him. His kicks always hit their mark and his punches weren't light either. Not only that, but he was terribly nimble on his feet and dodged almost every attack they lunged at him. The small group quickly cowed and fled, especially after the Irraka let out a terrifying howl.

Rengar sighed relieved, glad his grandfather and uncle had taught him martial arts. He turned to Tala, thinking she might need help, but was he in for a surprise! Tala was still surrounded by the werewolves, but for some reason they seemed to be doubting their plan to attack her. The pack leader, who'd been irritated that a part of his pack already ran, growled dangerously at them.

"Attack her! She's a Rahu! One of our greatest enemies! We're with seven and she's alone!" He growled as he jumped at Tala.

"Tala!" Rengar cried, thinking she could not handle so many as well as protecting Ares.

He wanted to jump in, but then he noticed a spark jumping through Tala's fur. The other Rogues followed their leaders example and jumped Tala. Tala prepared herself and Rengar could see her paws now glowing with lightning. The Rogues couldn't stop their attack and Tala's grin was wolfishly evil.

"Quintessence."

The lightning around her paws exploded and hit the pack leader and another one. From there on the lightning chained to the other wolves, though it weakened considerably the more it chained. The pack leader and the guy she hit with the first attack both fell unconscious, but the others were still awake, though terribly sore. Their eyes widened when they saw Tala recharging for another attack and they immediately turned around and fled with their tails between their legs, taking their pack leader and pack mate with them. Tala too let out a howl, more out of victory than to scare them and then turned to Ares, who was cowering behind her.

"No way."

Rengar turned around, finding that Draven had managed to pick himself up again, looking with big eyes at both Tala and Ares. Rengar nodded, not having expected to see this either. He knew Will could do magic, but as a werewolf she shouldn't be able to. [1]

Rengar went to Draven and helped him to walk those few steps to Ares and Tala, who was now tending to the young pup. Rengar, despite his surprise, couldn't help but grin when he found Tala licking the young pup's fur in an attempt to calm him while whispering soothing words to him. Ares grabbed for her, trembling and exhausted while Tala continued washing and calming him.

Rengar helped Draven to sit down, or so he thought when a howl resounded from the distance. Tala's eyes looked up in surprise and Rengar mirrored her concern. It seemed as if they thought the same and nodded.

"We're taking you to our territory." Rengar said, getting an annoyed, but agreeing groan from Draven. "They won't attack us so easily there. I hope."

Tala nodded and grabbed Ares by the neck with her teeth, not seeing Rengar's amused look. When she looked up, Rengar straightened his face. Tala moved to Draven's other side, causing the werewolf to growl annoyed. Ares merely whimpered in Tala's grip and Tala grinned.

"How does it feel like, to be bullied around?" She growled to Draven, not unclenching her teeth.

Draven merely growled in reply, apparently not even hearing her. Tala shot an inquisitive look to Rengar, but he too gave her a strange look. She decided to stay silent, in favour of avoiding the looks she was getting.

…

"What is this?"

The werewolves, who'd been running from Draven and Ares, came to a halt. They'd released a howl in the hope of finding the remaining members of their pack, but instead they found their head Alpha. He slowly appeared from the shadows, his yellow eyes shining darkly.

"Alpha." The wolves said, all averting their eyes to the ground.

"Do you have the boy?" He growled, his eyes wandering over the knocked-out pack leader.

One of the werewolves glanced up, finding a soft blue light shimmering within the fur around the neck of their alpha. The eyes of her Alpha found hers and she cowered as he lifted his lip.

"I'm sorry…" She whimpered, afraid of what he might do to her. "We were stopped by an Irraka and a Rahu."

There was no growling that followed, or a hateful bark or even a hit. Instead there was an eerie silence, which caused the female werewolf to look up again. Their Alpha looked interested at her, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight while the faint blue light from around his chest flickered for a moment.

"Royals?" He growled dangerously.

"One of them was a spell wolf, sir." Another werewolf interjected, causing the Alpha to look at him.

"Describe the spell wolf." The Alpha ordered.

The remaining werewolves glanced temporarily at each other, before the female who'd spoken first nodded in compliance.

"It was the Rahu, sir." She replied. "A female, probably around her second or third moon."

To the werewolves surprise, their Alpha sniggered. They dared to look up and found him already with his back to them. He glanced over his shoulder at them and jerked his head.

"Come, our stay in this territory has been too long. Let's return to our own. Besides, our own spell wolves need their training."

With that their Alpha walked away, softly sniggering in himself.

"Tala, you're gaining the fame I need." He snickered softly before his eyes glazed over.  
He halted and howled longingly at the moon, causing his pack members to do the same.

…

"A spell wolf?"

Draven breathed it in disbelieve, looking at Ares as well as the place where Tala had disappeared. Tala had gone away, saying she would get some bindings, while Draven, Rengar and Ares remained within their territory. Draven had been too damaged to complain and Rengar was still sorting out his thoughts. Ares was still asleep, unaware of his surroundings.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe Ares or Tala are spell wolves!" Draven repeated again, as if he tried to make it sound believable.

"Well, they are." Rengar growled slightly annoyed. "They've proven it tonight, haven't they?"

"How?" Draven asked. "How can they be… That?"

Rengar sighed annoyed, scratching his head and looking up at the moon. How should he know? He knew Will was a Guardian, but according to his grandmother Will shouldn't be capable of using her powers. The Heart shouldn't work for her… But then, how?

"Something wrong?"

Draven and Rengar turned their heads to find Tala appearing. She was carrying the bag with their clothes in it and to Rengar's surprise she pulled out some binds. She saw him looking and gave him a grin.

"You never know. That's something I've learned in the last couple of years." She said, before advancing to Draven. "Now, you. Sit still. One complaint and I'll make that wound worse."

"How?" Draven repeated, still confused.

"By applying more strength." Tala replied with a roll of her eyes. "That's how."

Tala then continued with wrapping Draven's head, which seemed to be a bit clumsily. Draven, who had not been implying how she could kill him, growled softly before yelping when Tala did indeed apply more strength as a warning for him to shut up. Luckily for him, Rengar had the same question on his mind and would voice it with more words.

"How can you use your powers?"

Tala, who had just finished wrapping up Draven's wounds, looked surprised at Rengar.

"You know how." She replied, growling softly as to warn Rengar.

Rengar shook his head while Draven raised an eyebrow. There was definitely more happening than he knew.

"Those shouldn't work." Rengar replied, sounding both agitated as confused.

Tala, who didn't seem to be interested to talk about her powers, nor wanting to argue with Rengar about how they did work, rolled with her eyes.

"Well, we can always ask your grandmother tomorrow if that makes you feel better." She said dismissively, before turning her back to Rengar to see if Ares had any damage.

Draven sat back, feeling a sudden hostile vibe coming from Rengar. Tala noticed it as well and turned just in time to see a claw shooting at her face. The claw hit her violently and she was pushed back. Immediately she raised her lip and glared at Rengar, who was ready to throw another one.

"Why didn't you use them when we fought?" Rengar bellowed, throwing another punch.

Tala barked viciously, unleashing a vicious spark which caused Rengar to miss his attack.

"Idiot!" She barked at him. "I never use them unless I really have to! And you are powerless…"

"So you hold back to give me a fighting chance?" Rengar growled angered. "So I had a minor chance to win?"

Rengar jumped Tala and the two rolled over each other, growling viciously at each other. Draven looked at how the two fought, this being the first time he ever saw an alpha fight. Seeing that before today the only other werewolf he knew was his own mother, there had never been a reason for such a fight. It was a bit frightening, especially seeing that he knew those two were pretty good friends when n human form. He silently scooted to Ares and took him on his lap, while the young boy kept on sleeping.

Tala ended up on top of Rengar again, who was trying to get out of her grip, but Tala made sure to use all of her power to keep him pinned down.

"What the heck is wrong with you!" Tala growled. "You don't see me being angry that you didn't use your kung fu powers during that fight!"

Rengar slowly stopped with struggling but he kept his glare.  
"You don't get it… You don't get it.." He muttered softly, shaking his head.

"What?" Tala growled in return.

Tala slowly got off of Rengar but kept an eye on him in case he wanted to jump her again. Instead he slowly crawled back up and sighed deeply.

"You are a spell wolf, just like Ares." Rengar said annoyed before shaking his head. "Never mind. I'm going for a hunt. Can you keep an eye on those two?"

Without waiting for an answer, Rengar disappeared. Tala, now even more confused than before, looked annoyed after him before he eyes went to search Ares. When she found him laying in Draven's lap, the two made eye-contact. Draven quickly looked down, almost automatically, while Tala merely snorted and came close.

"Is he injured?"

"Not as far as I know."

A new silence fell in which the two looked at the young werewolf. Ares kicked a bit in his sleep and Tala gently placed her paw on him. She then looked at Draven, who's eyes were still on the little wolf.

"You know, I don't think that Rengar or me would have been scat free from that fight if you hadn't weakened them first." She said gently. "In fact, if you hadn't

Draven looked up in surprise, looking into Tala's gentle eyes. For a second Tala's eyes hardened and Draven grinned while looking down again.

"Thanks, but Ares helped too. He did more than I did."

"I doubt that, seeing that such a simple trick knocked him out."

Draven looked up again, finding that Tala was sitting opposite of him.  
"You know how to use fire magic?" He asked surprised.

Tala's eyes twinkled mischievously.  
"Perhaps." Was all she said. "But did you know he could do that?"

Draven shook his head.  
"No, but this will certainly make things more difficult than they are now." He said.

A new silence fell, wherein the two only listened to the breathing of Ares as well as the sounds of the night.

"Why?" Tala finally asked. "Why would being a spell wolf make things difficult? Aren't we just normal werewolves as well?"

Draven knew Tala wasn't referring to Ares. She was referring to Rengar's reaction when he found out. A sigh escaped him and he looked at her. She was now looking at him with child-like curiosity, instead of the regal look both she and Rengar seemed to wear.

"They are." Draven acknowledged. "It's just that being a spell wolf immediately grants you certain privileges. Like being the pack alpha."

At this Tala raised an eyebrow.

"That's rubbish." She said, annoyance resounding in her voice. "Just because we can use magic doesn't mean that we will. Only in dire situations like tonight!"

Draven shrugged.  
"That's your idea of how to use those powers. But in the past, spell wolves were discriminated. They were always exiled or killed. It was a shameful thing to have a spell wolf in your family." He explained. "Until one day, a spell wolf who'd been abandoned, gathered other spell wolves, or bit people with magical qualities so to add more spell wolves to his own clan."

Tala remained silent during the story, though her eyes betrayed that she already knew what was coming. Draven had halted and waited for her to say something.

"He… He took revenge, didn't he?" Tala asked.

Draven nodded solemnly.  
"Yeah, he did. They attacked the annual gathering and nearly annihilated the whole werewolf society. Only when the alpha's agreed to no longer persecute spell wolves did the massacre stop. Since that time, spell wolves became royals. The other werewolves had seen the power they held and instead of seeing it as a disability, they know see it as an asset to proclaim dominance over the other clans." He finished.

Tala remained silent after that and nodded in understanding, before she again held her head askew and looked at Draven with new child-like curiosity mixed with sadness.

"Is that why Rengar's pissed at me?" She asked.

Draven held his head askew as well, while thinking over the answer. The longer he waited the more he saw how Tala slowly started to get annoyed as well. He quickly decided on the most logical answer in the hope to keep her from creating a new ruckus. Normally he wouldn't be bothered, but he had the nasty feeling he would be in between a fight he could not handle.

"I guess it's his werewolf pride you, unknowingly, hurt." He finally said. "You're still new and haven't developed it, but in time you'll start to grow proud of your clan and your own power. Rengar thought that he was on par with you, which for him was perhaps already a bit hurting his own pride. Seeing that you are from the rivalling clan, no matter how good of friends you are as humans. But-"

"But now that he figured I'm a spell wolf he thinks I kept back because I wanted to give him a chance…Just like he said." Tala finished, causing Draven to nod.

Tala looked sadly at the ground while Draven studied her. It was interesting that the redhead from school was such a normal werewolf. She seemed to despise the powers she held, which was clear by her scowling face, while others would have been delighted. Which reminded him.

"Rengar and you mentioned something about it being pretty obvious you had powers." He said, knitting his eyebrows together in thought. "What does that mean?"

At this Tala became incredibly defensive. She went to stand on her hind paws and towered above him, implying dominance as well as implying he was treading on dangerous grounds.

"That doesn't concern you, nor will it in the future." She growled at him, causing him to look to the ground.  
When that didn't seem to hold the desired effect, he relented and rolled on his back, showing Tala his belly. To this Tala calmed and went to sit down again. Draven rolled back just when Ares awoke.

The first thing to escape the young wolf's throat was a panicked yelp, but when Draven placed a paw on top of his head, he calmed down. Ares looked at Draven, his eyes widened with concern.

"Are we dead?" He squeaked.

A chuckle was heard from nearby and before Ares turned his head, another werewolf entered his view, looking down upon him. This one had red hair and familiar lightning like eyes. A smile came on his face.

"Wi-" He tried to say before the red werewolf growled in warning.

"It's Tala during the full moon." She said, before pressing her nose against his. "Nice to meet you, Ares."

…

Rengar couldn't believe it. Why hadn't she said it? Why was he surprised? Sure she was a Guardian, but according to his grandmother, Will's Guardian powers should be nonexistent in this form. Then how did she use powers?

The branch on the ground cracked loudly under the sudden grasp of his claw. He cringed when he saw his prey run away. He barked viciously and ran after it, but the distance was too big for him to close. He halted and watched how it ran away.

Silently he cursed. Why was he getting so worked up about it? Wasn't Tala his best friend? Why had he attacked her? He knew she wouldn't do that because she wanted to give him a chance. She probably didn't think of it when they fought. To be fair, he hadn't used any of his skills either. He had been so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten everything he'd learnt. A soft laugh escaped him. Here he was, blaming Tala for not going all out while he'd been the same. Boy, did he hope that she wouldn't be too pissed at him when he returned.

Suddenly the sound of the rustling of wings caught his ear and he looked around, thinking he might find a bird. Slowly the flapping became louder and Rengar realized this wasn't your average bird. Instead of waiting for it he chose a bush big enough to hide him and ducked behind it. The rustling became louder and from behind the bush, Rengar could see how a human, about his and Tala's height, appeared from the trees. He came from the direction where he'd left Tala, Draven and Ares and Rengar wondered if this guy, who was not only wearing a golden mask but was dressed in a sleeveless vest and long trousers and boots. The man hovered above the ground thanks to his black raven wings and Rengar also managed to see a reptilian like tail swaying behind him. The man landed and scanned the area, while Rengar kept silent.

"Damn it! Those werewolves should be here…" He heard the man mutter agitated. "I'll search a little longer before calling it a day. School's tomorrow after all."

With that the man flew off again and Rengar made sure to make himself as small as possible. He didn't know who it was, but he was quite sure that the man was no friend. He waited until the sound of flapping wings was almost reduced to nothing before leaving his hiding place. This was certainly something he had to tell the others.

Not long after his encounter with the masked angel did Rengar find a new prey. Though it was only one animal, it was a strong buck and it should do for the four of them. Not that Draven had looked like he could eat a lot with that jaw of his.  
With some effort, Rengar managed to pull it back to where he'd left Draven, Tala and Ares. When he arrived he found how Tala and Draven looked tenderly at Ares, who'd awakened and looked as he'd been punished.

"I'm sorry." He heard the boy growl.

Tala smiled at him and give him a small push, causing him to fall over.

"Don't worry, you'll learn." She said, causing Rengar to smile. "I need to learn a lot too."

The young werewolf smiled as well and tried a daring jump to tackle Tala, who accepted his invitation for playing by wagging her tail and grinning as he jumped her. She let herself fall back and the two rumbled a bit while Draven sat back and watched the two fool around.

"You almost look like a couple."

With this Rengar caught the attention of the two older werewolves, who immediately scowled at him while he barked a laugh. At least it didn't seem as if Tala was angry with him. He dragged the dead buck with him, ignoring the glare of Draven, seeing that Tala had already engaged another play fight with Ares. As he dragged it to the group, Ares halted his playing and looked hungrily at the food. When Rengar dropped it in front of them a silence took over. At first Rengar and Tala eyed Draven and Ares suspiciously, but both knew they had no rights for the first bite. When that silent argument was settled, a new uneasy silence fell as Tala and Rengar looked at each other. If the small argument before hadn't happened, they would have started eating, but now Rengar felt uncomfortable. He'd been in the wrong and by rules of the clans, Tala had the right to be the alpha, even if it still stung him. That's why he winced when he saw her grin.

"Let's do this." She said, knowing he felt extremely anxious and guilty. "When we're both adults, we fight again. And we'll go all out, no holding back. Until then we just remain like we were."

Rengar looked surprised at her, before he slowly copied her grin. He shook his head and both dug in, after which Draven and Ares followed.

"So… You weally dowt maind vat whappened befwore?" Rengar asked with his mouth full.

Tala punched him lightly, causing him to swallow his bite and cough a bit.  
"You're being stupid." She said. "I know why you did it and I'm not mad at that. Instinct guides us, I guess."

At this Rengar nodded, while noticing that Draven visibly relaxed. He guessed that the guy had been noticing the tension and was afraid of getting caught in the fight. The quickly finished their meal and sat back. Ares burped loudly, which caused the elder werewolves to laugh and defeat the boy with one burp of their own.

"It took you long enough to get one buck." Draven said with a grin.

Rengar shot him a look, which Draven received and made him snicker while looking away.

"You would have been taking your time if you ran into a guy with wings." Rengar growled annoyed, causing Draven to raise an eyebrow and look at him incredulously, while Tala coughed in surprise and Ares held his head askew.

"What?" Tala asked, her eyes wide.

Rengar shrugged.  
"He came from this direction, I thought you'd seen him?" He said nonchalantly. "He was about our height, had black wings and a reptilian tail and wore a golden mask."

At this Tala groaned loudly, letting herself fall on her back and placing a paw on her face.  
"This is bad." She muttered. "Real bad."

Draven and Rengar looked at Tala with renewed interest while Ares seemed to be getting more and more confused.

"You believe him?" Draven scoffed. "Such a thing doesn't exist."

"I believe him cause I fought the guy a lot of times before." Tala growled as she got up and glared at Draven. "That's Shagon. He's a Regent of Earth." [2]

"Shagon?" Rengar asked, wondering why the name sounded familiar.

"Regent of Earth?" Ares and Draven echoed not understanding.

"He holds magical powers." Tala clarified a little anxiously. "You could compare them to powers of Earth I guess… Though he still can't raise a tree. His only power up until now is pretty much shooting eyebeams and increased strength."

This had the three remaining werewolves look at each other in surprise. They then returned to look at Tala, who gave them a calculating glance in return.

"Then I think that a pack isn't such a bad idea." Rengar finally said. "I mean, we aren't just camping with Hunters who might be around, but also a Rogue pack nearby and a Regent. We can't stay apart. It will only endanger all of us."

"And… Draven was not completely untrustworthy as I first thought." Tala said with a reluctant nod. "He actually knows what to protect."

"And having two royals protect Ares can only benefit me more." Draven said, while glaring at Tala's remark. "Fine, have it your way."

He extended his paw, on which Rengar placed his. Both of them looked at Tala, who was still thinking it over.

"Well?" Rengar asked.

Tala sighed and shrugged.  
"Only one condition." She said, glaring at Draven. "You will not be with us when we undress. If I find you peeping, I will hunt you down and I will hurt you."

Rengar snickered at that while Draven actually sighed in disappointment. Tala frowned at him and he relented.

"Fine, take my last fun away, why won't you." He muttered darkly while Tala grinned.

Tala placed her paw on the others' and Ares joined in, though he had not a real idea of what was happening. The four released a howl that resounded through the whole area. As their howl ended they grinned at each other and took a step back.

"Now let's go for another hunt. Ares could use the training and I'm still hungry." Draven said with a grin, getting approving nods from the others before they disappeared into the night.

_**[1] = Rengar is referring to Tala as a human, therefore he used her human name in his thoughts.  
[2] = Will tries to keep Matt's identity a secret, therefore she calls him Shagon. And she isn't lying. She did fight Shagon a lot.**_

_**[A/N] So in the end, we did get a pack. Uriah and Jeremy were saved by Angelo and Will and we learnt a bit about spell wolves. Not very exciting. But definitely necessary. There are a lot of enemies with all the goal to annihilate them though for different reasons. Lovely. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you at the next moon, or at a new chapter of the two requested stories.**_

_**Until then! And review!**_


	10. Chapter 10 Trying to bury the hatchet

**Chapter 10 Trying to bury the hatchet**

Stress, annoyance and perhaps social suicide. Those things were on Will's mind as she walked to the pool of Heatherfield. She was stressed because of the many things happening in her life _again_. When she finally accepted that she was a werewolf, the whole spell wolf thing had to come a ruin it. She already wasn't a normal human, but why couldn't she be a normal werewolf instead? Was that too much to ask?  
Apparently so and now she even ended up fighting with Angelo. As if her fight with Taranee wasn't enough. The worst thing was that she was also provoking him. Her mother had told them that having two alphas was something extremely rare in their world. If it happened, the two alphas would continue to challenge each other until one of them exceeds the other or when another comes in and takes both down. And Will didn't want to admit it, but her hands had been itching to electrocute Angelo whenever they ended up fighting. But she knew he contained himself, so she would do too. For now.

She was annoyed because of the how close her Guardian life and werewolf life were from colliding. That Angelo nearly ran into Matt at the full moon of a week ago was proof of that. Not only that, but she was also annoyed with herself. The whole week she'd been avoiding Taranee like the plague and yet she found moments when she regretted the fight. She knew she was being stupid but by now she'd become too proud to acknowledge Taranee's fears. Because, it didn't matter how you would look at it, Taranee was the one who wronged.

And finally social suicide. It wasn't something Will had thought of until Cornelia and Irma took her apart yesterday, before the last hour of Friday would start. They'd seen her talk with Uriah and demanded to know why, but with some lies Will had managed to weasel herself out of it. She couldn't possibly tell them that she had been speaking with Uriah about Jeremy's lessons. The boy needed to be taught outside of the full moons and Will had been discussing on what days she could come by to teach him. But now Will knew that she even had to find discrete ways to reach Uriah's house, seeing how Irma and Cornelia finally gave their explanation about Outfielders and Infielders. Will knew that the Infielders were the popular kids and the Outfielders mostly consisted out of Uriah and his gang, but she'd never understood how you became one. But apparently she belonged to the group who walked the thin line between Infielders and Outfielders due to her connections with two Infielders, something of which Irma and Cornelia were rather proud of to be. But if she would start to hang with Uriah, she would be degraded quicker than Irma at a French test. Not that Will was particularly bothered by it, but it would also gain unwanted questions from the girls, which was something she tried to avoid.

So this week wasn't exactly her best. She felt more horrible with each passing day, without someone there to be capable to explain it to her. She just needed to get her thoughts straight, or so she hoped. If that didn't help then Will would start to think of moving away, quitting to be a Guardian and hope life and destiny would leave her alone.

And to think, she needed to swim. Now that she thought of it, the last time she swam was at the end of August, right before this mess started. That's why she left Angelo to do what he'd liked and went to the pool early in the morning on the Saturday after their last full moon. Only when she swam, could she clear out her thoughts and the thought of moving through the chlorine filled basin of water made her smile to no one in particular. Perhaps today would make up for what she'd gone through the last few weeks.

The building came into view and Will started to take a short sprint to it, becoming more and more eager to enter the waters. She halted in front of the door, silently amazed she wasn't even winded and perhaps a bit glad that the whole werewolf gig had some virtues, when the door opened and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. Will hit the ground hard and looked up, feeling as if she could kill the guy who'd opened the door with one glare. The moment she made eye contact she felt her eyes switch and in sudden surprise she looked away, afraid of what he might have seen. Angelo had said it wouldn't happen! Was she really that stressed that she even couldn't control that little thing?

"Are you okay?"

Will looked up again, now taking in the appearance of the person who slammed the door into her face. It was an African-American guy, about the age of Angelo with surprising green eyes. His black hair was short with a small ponytail at the back of his head, though it reached the middle of his back as she got a better look at it, and still wet from the water. He wore a simple white shirt and shorts, though with the growing wet spot around his crotch, Will could easily guess he was still wearing his swimming trunks underneath his shorts. He held out his hand to her and she blinked at him, as if she was expecting more. When he didn't say anything, Will accepted his hand, hoping he hadn't seen her eyes and smiled at him.

"I'm fine, thanks." She said, picking up her bag while pulling her hand away.

The scent of chlorine came from the boy and Will suddenly smiled, making the boy smile too.

"You smell like chlorine."

It was out before she could have thought of it and she clasped her hands over her mouth and looked surprised at him. The boy laughed good-heartedly at her and took a deep breath himself, before grinning at her.

"You don't. You smell like cinnamon." He replied, causing Will to blush and grin sheepishly at him.

Immediately alarm bells started to ring. She was in love with Matt! This guy was cute, but he could not match Matt. Random moments of her and Matt came up, but unfortunately they were repressed by the late moments of when he was either over-possessive or when he attacked her.  
'That wasn't his fault. He just didn't know.' Will thought, not knowing she was biting her lip.

"Are you really alright?" The boy asked again, breaking through Will's train of thoughts.

Will shook her head a bit before nodding at him.

"Yeah, I just had a rough week." She replied.

"And here I am, knocking the door right into you and making it worse." The boy replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, you should be apologizing instead of laughing!" Will said with played annoyance.

The boy placed his hands together in a praying matter.  
"I'm sorry, oh beauty, but I have to catch my bus before…"

The boy's attention shifted to the road and Will looked over her shoulder, to see a bus leave as they spoke. The boy sighed and hung his head, causing Will to laugh.

"Let me guess, that was your bus?" Will said to him with a grin.

"And now I have to wait for a whole half an hour to get the next one." The boy replied with a sigh. "That's too little to go swim again and too much to just wait."

Will then caught him looking at her. First he glanced at her bag before looking her in the eyes. Will felt a blush coming up and purposefully started to think of Yan Lin in a bathing suit. She'd never seen the woman in something else than her kimono, not counting the Guardian form, so it was an easy feat to think of something ludicrous that caused her to grin instead of blush. The boy took this as a good sign and grinned as well.

"How about I treat you to a drink, for nearly knocking you a blue eye with a door?" He said. "You kind of owe it to me."

Will raised an eyebrow at him and his eyes quickly went from cocky to pleading. She laughed and shrugged.

"I can live with that." She said. "My name's Will."

"Lucas, nice to meet you."

…

Angelo was tapping his foot, his eyes wandering through the basement of the Silver Dragon. He himself was standing against the wall which was the furthest away from the stairs. Several boxes were spread throughout the basement, with an old cot standing against the wall to his right. On it, Irma was sitting, more looking at her own hands than across the room. He'd taken her apart before and told her quite clear that, even though he did think she was rather attractive, she was not his type and asked her to stop with the advances. To his own surprise she took it rather well, sighing that she'd already known it and that she was doing it more for the fun of it by now. Though a clear warning glare from Angelo made her promise to not continue with it.  
Hay Lin was standing at the stairs, her gaze shifting from Irma to Angelo, to the door and back again. She'd heard the conversation and was rather glad the two didn't start a fight as well. It had come to her attention that ever since Taranee and Will started to fight, more fights in their group appeared. Irma and Cornelia were more often than before disagreeing with each other and even Hay Lin had ended up fighting with Taranee and Irma, though both arguments were already settled. She'd told Angelo about it and he'd asked her to call everyone to the basement. When he'd arrived without Will, Hay Lin had asked him why. He'd said it would be better to get his point across before either Will or Taranee could interrupt him by blaming the other. Besides, Will was off to the pool and probably unreachable till late in the day. So now Hay Lin was feeling a bit jumpy. She was positive a new fight would break out, seeing how Taranee had grown rather stubborn in her fight with Will. But Angelo insisted on clearing things up, so she relented and called them.

The silence continued and Hay Lin was rather sure she would explode from the tension when footsteps were heard in front of the basement. Like a rocket Hay Lin shot off, opening the door and thinking Taranee, Matt or Cornelia was standing there. Instead it was Mira, who smiled at her while holding up a tray with some cookies and tea. The reason Hay Lin could recognize her grandmother's Altermere was because Mira had decided to wear a different colour robe, this one being a soft red instead of the turquoise her grandmother wore.

"Mira…" Hay Lin said, sounding a bit annoyed.

Mira smiled at her and ushered her aside. Hay Lin watched how she walked down the stairs and looked one more time back, hoping to see one of her friends as well. As there was no sound of people entering resounding through the restaurant, Hay Lin sighed and closed the basement door, watching how Mira placed the tray on some boxes.

"Where's grandma?" Hay Lin asked, knowing that her grandmother and Altermere were usually not that far apart.

"Kandrakar." Mira replied with a sigh. "I've been there for a full week and I thought it would be fair to change places. Besides, like she would mind. Yapping away with Halinor."

"Why is she in Kandrakar?" Irma piped up, her mouth already full with cookies.

Mira gave her a sly smile and placed her arms inside her robes, much like Yan Lin usually did.

"Ah, we old people are still interested in the trials you young people go through." She said with a glimmer in her eyes. "Besides, she wanted to avoid getting her eardrums blown out when Taranee and Will arrived."

Hearing this got a chuckle from Irma and a worried glance from Angelo, while Hay Lin laughed a bit nervously. As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Hay Lin sprinted upstairs.  
As Angelo watched Hay Lin go, he wondered if Yan Lin had a right to be afraid. He certainly hoped not. Upstairs he could hear Hay Lin talking very quickly while above it, he could hear Cornelia's surprised gasp. The reason why was quickly explained when the Earth Guardian entered the basement and looked at Irma with a look of disbelieve.

"What are you doing here so early?" She asked flabbergasted. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping right now till 1 P.M.?"

Irma sent her a glare and Angelo chuckled softly. Irma placed her hands on her hips and looked away.

"If you want to know, my dad came up with a surprise morning drill." She said rather annoyed. "He thought it would be a good idea."

"Let me guess, your mom is now chasing him throughout Heatherfield." Hay Lin replied with a giggle.

"Yeah." Irma said with a dreamy smile, while the others laughed as well.

Cornelia then glanced through the rest of the basement, her gaze settling on Angelo. She still wasn't happy with him being around them, even if the guy had never seemed to be anything but a good guy, she still had the feeling there was something off about him. She wouldn't say it to the girls, but it was as if the Earth was a lot calmer around him than around others. Same went for the girls, but she attributed that to the fact that they were Guardians. But Angelo was no Guardian, which made him immediately suspicious.  
He caught her looking at him and smiled at her with a friendly smile and she found herself answering to it with one of her own. Before she could acknowledge his presence she heard the doorbell ringing and was nearly pushed over by Hay Lin, who shot back past her. There was some rumbling and Hay Lin's voice resounded through the basement, now a bit louder than when she was explaining why she'd called so early to Cornelia. Matt's and Taranee's voices seemed low in comparison to Hay Lin's and by how the two were talking, they didn't know Angelo was here. They'd probably thought it was Guardian business.

Cornelia walked down the stairs, just before the door opened and made way for Matt, Taranee and Hay Lin. Hay Lin looked nervously at Taranee's back while Taranee and Matt scanned the room. Both halted when their gazes landed on Angelo and an awkward silence fell. Angelo remained calm and looked back at them while Taranee was already wearing a glare and Matt a frown.

"It seems I need to get more tea." Mira said casually, placing the already half empty bowl of cookies and two remaining cups on the boxes before taking the tray and making her way upstairs.

Once the door closed, Taranee and Matt completely descended the stairs. Taranee crossed her arms and gave Angelo a particular glare, which made him immediately compare Taranee to Will and saw a very scary resemblance in the two. He quickly shook the image away and gave her a friendly smile.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Taranee finally asked, turning her attention to Hay Lin who squeaked in surprise.

"He… I… Uhmm…" Hay Lin struggled, getting nervous under Taranee's gaze.

"I'm here because I'm getting sick of the fight you and Will are having." Angelo said, protecting Hay Lin from Taranee's glare as the latter returned her gaze on Angelo.

"Why would we need your help?" Cornelia asked, sounding a bit offensive. "I mean, it's not like we can't handle it ourselves."

At this Angelo gave the girl a look that pretty much told her he didn't believe her. Cornelia had to admit that they were doing a lousy job. From trying to get the two back together they went to trying to keep the peace when the two looked at each other. That wasn't much of an improvement.

"Well, I for one am glad Angelo is taking the initiative. Cause we're not getting any further with it." Hay Lin piped up, now feeling braver and siding with Angelo.

"I agree with our birdy. It's getting plain old to see you fight…Not to mention scary." Irma added, resting an arm on Hay Lin's shoulder.

Taranee remained with her arms crossed and Angelo sighed. He already knew this wouldn't be easy, but it seemed that Taranee was even trying to make it even more difficult.

"You know they're right Taranee."

The group looked up to see Mira descending the stairs again with a new tray. The old woman looked at Taranee, who scowled in return. She chuckled softly as one of Yan Lin's memories came up.

"This fight is certainly going on for too long. Nerissa and Yan Lin didn't even fight that long when Joe appeared. Though I must add that Yan Lin wasn't that stubborn." Mira continued as she placed the tray on some other boxes.

"Joe?" Irma asked. "Who's he?"

"My grandfather, he married Kadma in the end." Angelo explained, getting a nod from Irma.

Taranee bit her lip and looked calculatingly at Mira. She was still angry at how Will had treated her while all she did was show concern. And it was pretty much Angelo's fault.

"But Will…"

"Had every reason to be that pissed off." Hay Lin finished, causing Taranee to look in surprise at the bubbly girl.

Hay Lin looked serious at her, something that was a rare sight to see. It didn't suit her but it made you realize that she was, indeed, being serious.

"You invaded his mind!" Hay Lin continued. "You're always the one who reprimands Will and Irma on the proper use of our powers! And now you do something like this."

"I was only making sure we could trust him!" Taranee returned in defence.

"Why didn't you trust Will's judgement?" Irma countered. "The girl has her faults but her judgement is almost always right!"

"It's because we don't know a thing about him, Irma." Matt replied darkly. "And she didn't see him after she moved here! Who knows what he turned into?"

Angelo gave Matt a look that caused the Regent to glare in return. Angelo looked more surprised than angry at the accusation and it kind of irked Matt.

"Dude…Will thought you were…But I kind of hoped you weren't… But are you afraid I would get frisky with your girl?" Angelo said, sounding extremely surprised and there was a soft tone of anger hidden beneath it. "Will is my friend. My _best_ friend. True. I haven't seen her in three years, but that doesn't mean we weren't in contact! Do you know how you're acting right now? I think I can tell you that pretty easily. You're acting like Will had been acting when Mandy suddenly appeared."

Matt looked flabbergasted at Angelo and he wasn't the only one. The girls all gave him a look of surprise, which caused Taranee to look with even more suspicion at him.

"Yeah, I know." Angelo breathed. "She told me. And you know why? Because, even if we lived apart, we stayed in contact. We've always been there for each other in good and bad times and we weren't going to stop. I'm quite sure Taranee knows exactly what I'm talking about, cause I'm pretty sure she and Will had the same conversation back then. About you and Mandy."

Matt now looked at the ground, ashamed of himself. He hadn't realized Will had been feeling this annoyed by Mandy's presence. It was true there were some signs, but Matt had just been too happy to notice them. He should have known better. Will wasn't someone who would cheat and if someone dared to lay a hand on her, the guy who tried would probably end up worse than her.  
A sigh escaped his lips and Matt ran a hand through his hair.

"And to think she was also worrying about Nerissa, the ex-Guardians, Elyon and the Oracle back at the time." He muttered. "How can someone coop with so many things?"

Angelo grinned at him, glad he managed to get one obstacle out of the way.  
"Look dude, I love her like a sister and you love her, right? So let's bury the hatchet for Will's sake." He said as he extended his hand.

Matt stared at the hand and he could feel Taranee's glare prickling in his back, but no matter how he looked at it, Angelo was right. So he accepted the hand and grinned at the guy.

"For Will's sake."

Hay Lin started to dance happily in her place and Mira nodded with a grin. Irma smiled while Cornelia seemed to be doubting of how she should react. Taranee was still wearing an ice cold glare which had seemed to intensify as the two boys shook hands.

…

"So…If you come from Post Town, what are you doing all the way here? Isn't Post Town at the other side of the mountains?"

Lucas nodded as he took a sip of his drink. He and Will had chosen a place in the canteen of the pool. He'd asked her why she was here, and besides the most obvious answer, he found out that one of her passions was swimming and it had been her passion ever since she lived in Fadden Hills. After which she asked him where he came from.

"Yeah it is. My dad first wanted to have me walk the whole way, but he's still out of town so what he doesn't know, won't hurt him." Lucas said with a lazy smile.

"No way!" Will said with a grin. "But why come swim here? Isn't there a pool in your town?"

"Of course there is." Lucas said. "Best pool ever! It's just that they are renovating it so our school team has a special pool to train in aside from the pool for the normal bathers. And this one was the one closest to my town."

Will raised an eyebrow.  
"You couldn't wait for it to open?" She said. "You could always splash away in the kiddy pool."

Lucas gave her a playful glare and stuck out his tongue, to which Will looked innocently at him while sipping her drink. She then watched how his playful glare glazed over to the dreamy eyes she'd seen Taranee, Angelo, Irma, Hay Lin or Cornelia glaze to when they talked about their dreams.

"I could have waited, I guess. I mean, it opens next Saturday." He said, running his hand through his hair. "But you know, I just need to swim. It's a way for me to calm down and to sort out my-"

"Thoughts." Will finished, beaming at him. "No way! You too?"

Lucas blinked surprised at her before he smiled.  
"So you came here to sort out your thoughts too? Wow! Talk about coincidence!" He said, beaming at her in return. "I never met someone who swam for the same reasons I did!"

Will blushed a bit as she started to unconsciously play with the necklace of the Heart. It was true that she had too never met someone who swam just to clear their thoughts. They either swam just because they liked it for no reason or simply to defeat people in swimming meets. But the way he smiled at her made her feel guilty. She was with Matt after all an she didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

"That's a nice necklace you've got."

Will blinked in surprise and looked down, finding that she'd accidentally pulled out the Heart from under her shirt. Fear caught up with her, afraid the boy would recognize it for the powerful magical artefact it was, before realizing he was only human and could not possibly know of it.

"Is it a family heirloom?"

Will could see how the boy glanced at the crystal with a strange sort hunger mixed with curiosity. She didn't know why. His question sounded genuine, she even had the feeling he truly did not know what it was, but why was he looking so hungrily at it?

"Y-Yeah, I guess you could say that." She replied softly.

"It suits you." Lucas complimented. "For a second I was afraid it was a necklace from your boyfriend."

Will smiled at him.  
"I don't think he would choose jewellery to give it as a present to me." She replied and she could see his face fall.

"Why are all the cute ones taken?" She could hear him whisper under his breath before he pulled himself together and smiled. "Why would he not? If he bought you the right jewellery, he would only compliment you."

"My, aren't we the charmer." Will said with a raised eyebrow, leaving his question for what it was. He didn't need to know so much about her and he certainly did not need to know about her relations.

Lucas grinned and pulled on a necklace around his own neck. Will had noticed it before, seeing the black string around his neck, and she gasped when he pulled out an almost round, aquamarine stone from his shirt. It seemed to blink and for a second Will thought she felt some magic coming from it, but she quickly wrote that off when she noticed the Heart shining for a second. Luckily Lucas was looking at his pendant instead of her and did not notice it.

"Seeing that you showed yours…" Lucas said softly.

'Unconsciously.' Will added in her mind.

"I thought I could show you mine." He said. "My father gave it to me."

"It's an heirloom too?" Will asked, intrigued by the small stone.

It had the size of a large marble and had a dark blue centre. Almost like an eye, Will mused before she heard something that sounded like a growl or a cough. She blinked and found that she had her fingers wrapped around it and was even weighing the crystal. In surprise she let go and looked at Lucas, who was now busy with placing the crystal back underneath his shirt. Will blushed and pulled back, looking at the table and stammering her apologies.

"Don't worry." She heard him say indifferently. "It's not like you wanted to steal it."

A bit of an awkward silence fell in which neither of them glanced at the other. Will passively twirled her drink when Lucas sighed and went through his hair again.

"So… You swim?" He asked clumsily. He realized his error and coughed again while Will shot him a curious glance. "I-I mean, do you swim in your school team?"

Will breathed a laugh.

"Yeah, the Sheffield Sea Slugs." She replied, sounding a bit sour about the name. "But don't let the name fool you."

"Oh? But it sounds so terrifying." Lucas said with a chuckle.

Will glared at him as he continued to chuckle.

"What's the name of your school team?" She challenged, to which Lucas smiled cockily.

"The Aldenfield Sea Wolves." He replied, to which Will suddenly started to laugh.

"Catfish you mean?" Will said, laughing. "You're laughing because the name of my team sounds lame, but yours has the name of an animal who's named after the two most conflicting animals."

Lucas, instead of looking annoyed at the humour Will found in the name (which he couldn't see)_**[0]**_, looked interested. He smiled at her as she calmed down and took a sip.

"You know, you're the first one to say that." He said. "Are you interested in fish or what?"

Will shook her head, drinking some of her soda as well.  
"No. My best friend is..."

She halted, her eyes darkening at the mentioning of Taranee and she bit her lip. Lucas sensed he'd said something wrong and looked curiously at her.

"I'm sorry if I made you remember something uncomfortable." He said quickly, hoping that he hadn't offended her.

Will shook her head but kept glancing at the table.  
"It's not that. It's... It's nothing really."

"Are you sure?"

Will smiled at his concern.  
"Don't worry, I'm fi-"

She couldn't finish the sentence due to her choking reflex. A foul stench wafted past her nose and she cringed, just like Lucas. Many other people in the canteen showed similar reactions, but now Will was truly cursing her werewolf heritage. She was sure she could even distinguish the different samples of garbage and she knew of only one creature who could smell like that. Her eyes quickly roamed the canteen and found him sitting in the ventilation shaft. Many people started to complain and Lucas too asked aloud what that smell was. Will just didn't want to give him the full detail of it.

She stood up, causing Lucas to look at her in surprise.

"I remembered that I had some laundry to do." She said, to which Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Is your laundry this dirty?" He asked jokingly.

Will gave him a glare while searching for her wallet.  
"No, but the stench reminded me of socks, which reminded me of the laundry, which reminded me that if I don't do it today, my mom will freak." She replied slightly annoyed.

Lucas got up as well and placed his hand on Will's shoulder.  
"It's alright. You go. I'll pay the bill." He said with a friendly smile.

"N-No, you don't have to..." Will said, finally finding her wallet.

"I insist." Lucas replied. "After all, I slammed that door in your face and asked you to join me."

Will sighed, seeing that Lucas gave her an evil eye whenever she raised her hand with her wallet, and let the wallet fall back into her bag.

"Then thank you for the drink. I wish we could've talked more but-"

"Your mom would kill you. I don't mind. I had a lovely time." Lucas replied with a grin.

Will gave him a quick smile in return before turning to leave the canteen.  
"I hope Meridian is on fire or else I'll make sure it is." She muttered darkly before swinging her bag over her shoulder and taking off, waving at Lucas as she did.

Lucas watched her go, waving back when she did, and for a mere second, his eye colour switched from brown to golden yellow. He grinned and ran his fingers through his hair again.

"I hope we'll meet again."

**...**

"I still don't know why you two are so against me."

There had been a silence, in which Matt had taken the liberty of moving as far away as possible from Taranee and in which Irma tried to make several, failed jokes. That's why Angelo just went and asked bluntly what was bothering him. Cornelia gave a roll with her eyes but Irma was nice enough to answer.

"I could tell you what Corny's problem was! You didn't need to ask her!" She said, getting a dark glare from Cornelia.

Angelo raised an eyebrow, which Irma took as a sign to continue. She loosely waved her hand to Cornelia, whose glare intensified.

"You shouldn't be to bothered with Corny. She's always been like that." Irma said, getting an indignant gasp and 'I am not!' from Cornelia. "Cornelia just has some issues with trusting others into our group of friends. First it was Taranee, then Will. So give her some time."

"That's so not true." Cornelia replied, flipping her hair. "I've got no problems with Matt, Nigel or Eric."

Irma rolled her eyes and looked at Cornelia.  
"Of course not, they're the boyfriends! They've got this special place of which you know you have to accept them or else you'll have to fight Will, Taranee or Hay Lin about it." She replied as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Cornelia crossed her arms and muttered something about the amounts of nonsense Irma could produce, but did not reply. Angelo nodded, knowing that there were people who wouldn't just accept everyone. He could understand it too and was willing to wait for Cornelia to accept him. Such things couldn't be rushed anyway. His eyes then settled on Taranee, who hadn't even looked away when Irma had been talking. He gave her a questioning look as well, which caused Taranee to huff in annoyance.

"You want to know my problem?" She hissed. "Well, I guess that you personify it."

Angelo blinked in confusion and he wasn't the only one. The others gave her a questioning look as well and Taranee crossed her arms.

"What?" Angelo asked confused.

"Irma has Hay Lin." Taranee said softly. "Cornelia has Elyon, but who have I? Who is my best friend? When I came here a year before Will, I was accepted into their group, but I could always feel I wasn't completely their friend. I usually stood on the sidelines when they had a party or went out."

At this Hay Lin, Irma and Cornelia looked down guiltily. They'd tried to pull Taranee into their activities, which sometimes worked, but they always ended up hanging with their other half. Angelo nodded in understanding and remained silent as Taranee continued.

"I thought that changed when Will came here." Taranee said. "She was the new girl. And she too was accepted into the group, albeit because of her role as Guardian Leader. And out of all the girls, she approached me first. Me! The most feeble and timid member of our group. When it rained, the first time after we became Guardians, she came to my house to take cover. We talked. About why I moved to Heatherfield, where I came from, where she came from and why she moved here."

Tears were now rolling down Taranee's cheeks. The girls looked in surprise at her while Angelo and Matt remained silent, both surprised at what was happening. Mira nodded in understanding and had to pink a tear of her own away as memories of Yan Lin flooded her mind.

"I thought I knew everything about her. And I had told her everything about me."

A short silence fell in which Taranee looked at the ground. Several tears fell on the floor and Angelo felt his heart jump when Taranee gave him a glare from over her glasses.

"She told me she had no friends." Taranee whispered, clearly audible throughout the basement.

This had everyone look at Angelo in suspicion and Angelo's eyes widened. He gave them an awkward grin, to which the intensity of the glares increased.

"I thought Will and I had our past in common." Taranee continued, feeling she was gaining power against Angelo. "But then you appeared, seemingly out of nowhere! Will claiming you to be her best friend and you knowing things about her no one knows."

She roughly rubbed her tears away and glared at Angelo, who felt embarrassed by the glares upon him. He coughed and cleared his throat, trying to get some control over the situation.

"I can tell you why Will told you she had no friends." He said softly. "Around the time she left… I was going through some… problems myself. You know, puberty and all." **[1]**

Taranee and Cornelia raised their eyebrows, though Irma and Hay Lin seemed to believe him. Angelo sighed and continued.

"When Will needed me the most, I bit at her and ignored her." He admitted. "When she was gone, I realized what I'd done. I'd tried to contact her, but she never replied. It wasn't until the summer break of last year that we made up."

"Didn't Will have other friends besides you?" Cornelia asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know I've seen something hidden in her room with the name 'Lara' on it."

Angelo looked pained at Cornelia and sighed.  
"She still has that huh?" He muttered sadly.

"Will prefers to forget that."

He looked up to see Taranee giving him a warning glance, as if telling him to not tell about that part of Will's past. He was rather surprised Taranee knew about the whole thing. A sad smile formed on his lips. Will really found some great friends here.

"I don't get it."

Angelo received a lot of confused looks from the people around him. Taranee gave him an inquisitive glare and he merely shrugged.

"You care so much for Will and yet you, and Matt, treat her like an object!" Angelo said, getting glares from both Taranee and Matt.

"I do not!" Taranee claimed indignantly.

"Then tell me why we are arguing about her right now?" Angelo retorted. "And why Matt always wraps his arms around Will whenever I'm close? If that isn't a way of showing that something belongs to you, then I wouldn't know what is."

This caught both Taranee and Matt off guard and they looked surprised at the others. Irma and Hay Lin gave them a nod, telling them they were acting like that, while Cornelia gave Taranee an uneasy smile, easily telling her that she sided with Angelo on this one. Taranee huffed annoyed and crossed her arms and Angelo couldn't and didn't want to believe someone could be this stubborn. He sighed and looked at Taranee, who gave him an even darker glare.

"Okay, let me ask you this." He started, seeing how Taranee raised her eyebrow. "How did you feel since the fight with Will?"

"I don't see how thi-" Taranee started, but Angelo interrupted her.

"Lonely?" He said, looking Taranee right in the eyes. "Depressed? Easily agitated? Annoyed?"

Taranee's eyes widened and Hay Lin gasped in surprise, confirming Angelo's thoughts.

"Wha- How? I-I mean…" Taranee stammered, blushing in surprise.

"Wow! That was totally on the spot!" Hay Lin yelled out surprised. "Are you an empath?"

This caused the others to look at Hay Lin and Taranee to send her a glare, to which Hay Lin shrunk a bit.

"I take it Taranee told you?" Mira asked, making Hay Lin nod. "Hay Lin, these things are supposed to be kept a secret when told."

"Sorry." Was Hay Lin's weak reply. "But it was just that spot on… It kind of slipped."

Angelo grinned a bit. He was no empath, but seeing that Will was, he unfortunately had the honour to feel what she was going through. She said she could control it, but Angelo had the nasty feeling she couldn't control it if she was in any other state than calm. Not only that, but human emotions were different from animal emotions. Could Will truly stay in control?  
He shook his head, both as a negation to what Hay Lin said and to clear his head.

"I'm no empath." He said. "But I know this because Will is feeling the same and it's getting worse by the day. She went swimming to clear her head, maybe that will get her to relax. But that doesn't take away that she feels the same, Taranee. So why don't you two make up? This fight is pointless and stupid. The only damage you do is to yourself."

Taranee had stopped looking at him and was now looking at the floor, muttering things under her breath too soft for him to hear. He looked around to gauge the reactions of the others. Mira nodded at him in approval and Hay Lin and Irma gave him thumbs up. Cornelia gave him a small smile and Matt nodded. So they stood behind him on this. Well, that was something. He glanced back at Taranee, who now looked up.

"And?"

Taranee seemed to think of an answer, but what it was, was lost in the commotion that followed. A flash of bright green light appeared in the middle of the basement and Angelo jumped back in surprise. The others showed signs of surprise as well, though a lot less than he did. When the light resided a foul stench filled the basement and Angelo immediately had the instinct to hurl. Man, a strengthened sense of smell had never been such a disadvantage as now. He glanced around and found the others waving in front of their noses while looking at the newcomers. Will and a small green creature, dressed in filthy clothing were standing at the place where the light had been. Will was carrying her swimming bag but the lack of chlorine scent told Angelo she hadn't been swimming. Her face was dark as she looked through the basement.  
Taranee could see how Will's face hardened when the two made eye contact and, despite of the fact that she wanted to make up, she glared back in return. Will turned her head away and addressed Mira.

"Why didn't I know about this?" She asked, confusing about everyone in the room except for Mira.

"Yan Lin, nor the other ex-Guardians deemed it necessary for you to know." Mira replied simply.

Will sighed and blew some of her hair out of her face, leaving sparks to playfully jump through her hair.

"Well, because of it we can still go." She grumbled.

"Let me guess, she's missing?" Mira asked, getting an annoyed nod from Will.

"At least everyone's here. That makes it a lot easier to go." Will said, already raising the Heart.

"Wow. Wow. Wow. WOW!" Irma said, stopping forward and halting Will. "What are you talking about?"

It was Blunk who answered for Will.

"Cassidy gone!"

_**[0] = It's not meant to be funny, but Will was nervous and wanted to have something to tease Lucas with. You can expect cat jokes when he's around.  
[1] = Going through puberty as a werewolf is a lot worse than it's with humans, even when the werewolves in question were not yet at the right age to transform. Will evaded that ordeal due to some circumstances which will become clear in later chapters.**_

_**[A/N] Okay, to be honest I wanted to answer a few questions that came up during the last chapter in this one. But instead this appeared. Oh well, it's not like it isn't important for the plot, but this means you'll just have to wait for the answer a tad bit longer. I'm sure you people can handle that.  
So tell me your thoughts and any questions you have. I also to love to hear about speculations, so amaze me.**_

_**Please review and see you next moon!**_


	11. Chapter 11 Trouble in Meridian

**Chapter 11 Trouble in Meridian**

A sigh escaped the lips of the Queen as she paced in front of Aldarn, Drake, Caleb, Julian and Raythor. All of them had been summoned by her for a simple thing.

"Why is she gone?" Elyon asked, sounding a bit irritated.

The men looked at each other before shrugging and looking back at their Queen.

"She's pretty slippery." Aldarn said with a grin.

Caleb and Drake grinned as well, but Julian and Raythor kept their face straight as Elyon gave them a glare.

"It's not funny!" She whined, sounding a bit panicked. "The Oracle sent her to help us and I end up losing Cassidy to some werewolves!"

Caleb patted her sympathetically on her shoulder.

"It's Cassidy. I'm sure we'll find her." He tried.

Elyon sighed deeply and went to sit on the steps in front of her throne, her chin in her hands.

"First the crystal breaks and _she_ gets out." Elyon said miserably while glaring at Caleb and Julian, who tactically evaded her gaze. "Then werewolves show up with a full moon and then Lurdens start to attack at day. Is there some sign above my castle that says: 'Please trouble, we've got some room to spare'?"

"I'm not sure, your highness." Raythor replied as he frowned at Caleb and Aldarn, who both snickered at their Queen's last comment. "Under your brother's rule we usually never bothered about keeping the people safe."

"Not helping, Raythor." Elyon said slightly annoyed as she sighed again.

She got up and walked to the window in her throne room, watching over the nearby village. Her shoulders fell a bit and she leaned her head against the window sill, sighing once more. The men behind her gave each other a troubling look. Ruling a country was a pretty big thing for someone who still had to turn sixteen. Next to the fact that she didn't have any experience in being a ruler. Or a leader.

"How am I supposed to be a good Queen if I keep relying on people send by Kandrakar?" Elyon questioned to no one in particular. "Their aid is indeed helpful, but what if the Guardians are away on a mission and there is no one left? I'll probably panic."

The men looked at each other again, unsure if they had to counsel their Queen or not. Elyon didn't seem to notice their silent conversation as she sighed again before pulling herself together and turning around.

"Okay, let's start again." She said, rubbing her temples. "Where did you last see Cassidy?"

"That would be something we'd like to know as well."

Elyon yelped in surprise while the five men turned around as one, each unsheathing their weapons as the doors to the throne room were pushed open. The Guardians, along with a transformed Matt, Blunk, Elyon's adoptive parents and an unidentified teenager came in. It seemed that Elyon's adoptive parents had tried to stop the Guardians, with little success.

"I'm sorry Elyon, I couldn't stop them." Mariadel said, though Alborn was still trying.

He pointed his sword at Will's throat, who regarded him coolly while Irma and Cornelia raised an eyebrow, the unidentified guy became alarmed and Matt's eyes glowed cautiously.

"The Queen is busy." He growled at Will, who glared at him. "You can wait outside."

"Dad, it's alright." Elyon said, walking forward and taking her adoptive father's sword away from Will.

"Elyon, you have to learn that when the Guardians come in, you are not compelled to invite them in and hear them out. You are the Queen…" Alborn started, only to be interrupted by both Will and Taranee.

"We, as Guardians, outrank Elyon's status as Queen and so, we don't have to obey every order." The two of them said simultaneously.

This caused the Fire and Quintessence Guardian to look at each other, squint their eyes and turn their heads away. The others glanced a bit worried at them but took a grateful breath as the silence continued. Elyon raised an eyebrow before she found her adoptive father ready to argue more.

"Dad, they're here to help. I send Blunk to get them." She said, ushering Alborn to silence.

Alborn wasn't exactly content with it, but Mariadel placed a hand on his arm and gently led him away, bowing to Elyon as they left. Elyon looked a bit awkwardly at them as they left, still not used to them bowing for her. The moment the doors closed, she turned to her friends. She could feel an eerie ambiance around them and it seemed that Will and Taranee were the main cause of that. She coughed a bit, getting everyone's attention before crossing her arms.

"So… What's this all about?" She asked.

"Cassidy got apparently kidnapped while she was on a mission for you?" Taranee said, to which Will growled softly and the two engaged another silent glare wars.

Elyon rolled her eyes, though concern caught her. This was rather strange for those two to argue.

"She went without telling someone and got herself captured." She corrected. "But I meant, what's going on with you guys?"

"Nothing." Will and Taranee said in choir, before turning their heads away from each other.

The unidentified teenager walked up to her and bowed, while the others were apparently looking at Taranee and Will as if they expected a fight. Elyon looked surprised at him, before reminding herself that she was a Queen. She ushered him to stand and he gave her a smile. She noticed he was African-American with brown eyes and dreadlocks. He was wearing jeans with a white shirt over it, but he didn't look to shabby for a guy, if she said so herself. The boy came a bit closer and leaned forward as much as he dared without Raythor and Caleb drawing their swords.

"Will and Taranee have been arguing for a month now." He explained carefully, eyeing the two girls from the corners of his eyes. "Taranee invaded… Someone's dreams without Will's permission and now the two are about this close to killing each other."

Elyon gave an awkward laugh.

"You're joking, right?" She replied nervously.

The boy gave her a look that told her differently and Elyon leaned a bit to the side, seeing that Irma, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Matt were now standing in between Taranee and Will. The looks they were giving those two told Elyon that the boy was indeed, not joking. She returned his attention to him, seeing that he was checking out Raythor, Caleb, Julian and Aldarn. He noticed her looking and looked at the ground, giving Elyon the idea that he'd been around royalty a lot more than the usual lot from Earth.

"And you are?" She asked him, causing him to grin a bit stupidly and scratch his head.

"Oh yeah. I'm Angelo Vanders." He said, extending his hand. "I'm a friend of Will's."

Elyon accepted his hand and shook it.

"Elyon Bro-"

Raythor coughed behind her, causing Elyon to falter a bit and sigh, giving him a short glare. Raythor grinned at her and a new sigh escaped her.

"I mean, I'm Queen Elyon Escanor, happy to make your acquaintance." She said, though this time it sounded bored, causing Angelo to grin.

Elyon glared again behind her and a small smile played on her lips.

"And these are my lapdogs, Raythor, Julian, Caleb, Drake and Aldarn." She added quickly.

"Hey!" All five men said, gaining the attention of the Guardians and Matt as well.

Elyon ignored them and turned to her friends. The girls gave her a grin and Cornelia came over to hug her, before kissing a pouting Caleb. The other girls went to hug her as well, though they made sure Will would go first and Taranee last as to create a big enough space between the two. Those two just evaded each other's gaze and after everyone greeted each other the Guardians regarded Elyon, who shuffled a bit under their gaze.

"So, Cassidy got a mission?" Irma asked casually, though Elyon could hear she was a bit hurt.

Elyon's shoulders sagged a bit and she pouted at her friends.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She said. "I know I should've called you guys but I wanted to try on my own! What if you guys are gone and I'm in trouble? I can't keep depending on you!"

Cornelia smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Don't worry Elle, we aren't attacking you." She reassured.

"Though it wouldn't have hurt if you kept us a bit up to date." Will added.

"Told you." Elyon heard Caleb whisper yet she smiled.

"I will, next time." She said a bit relieved.

"So what happened?" Hay Lin piped up. "We can help."

Elyon sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  
"It was about 3 months, or more accurately, 3 full moons ago." She started. "There was an attack in a faraway city, and I only heard of it after the second moon had passed. By then Lurden attacks were already frequent and organized."

"Lurden attacks?" Taranee asked surprised. "Aren't they all locked up in the Infinite City."

"Those are the ones who are loyal to Phobos." Raythor replied. "There are many others. Many of them have settlements of their own or live like nomads. They sometimes raid a village but it's nothing we can't handle."

"But now their attacks are becoming more frequent, bigger and they destroy more. Like someone is leading them." Julian added.

"And after last moon Cassidy came to help us, seeing as she has some experience with werewolves." Elyon finished. "We know they're werewolves, seeing that they are also harassing my villages as humans and that one transformed last moon right in our cell… Well…"

"So Earth isn't the only place plagued by them." Irma said with a frown.

Elyon raised an eyebrow as she looked at the girls. They didn't seem surprised by the news and they gave each other a knowing look. Or, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Matt gave each other a knowing look. Will seemed to be lost in thoughts, before blinking them away and providing Elyon with the information she was lacking.

"A…Few werewolves are running loose in Heatherfield." She clarified, though somehow Elyon had the feeling Will was a bit reluctant to explain more.

"Yeah and they would have been gone if we were allowed to hunt them down." Irma grumbled darkly.

Elyon looked surprised at Will, silently demanding her for an explanation, but it was Matt who explained.

"It's a job for the Regents of Earth, and the girls could take some time off." He said, placing a wing around Will.

Will gave him a grateful smile and Elyon nodded. It was rather logical and it was the same thing she had wanted to do. Will stepped away from Matt and closer to Elyon.

"So, where did you see Cassidy for the last time?" She asked.

Elyon frowned a bit.

"Last time I saw her, she was sitting with me at the dining table during lunch." She replied. "We talked about where she thought the werewolves could be and a bit about the book."

"Book?" Cornelia asked surprised. "What book?"

"The Queen found a book in the library about many magical creatures, multiple aren't even known on Metamoor." Raythor explained. "And in that book, werewolves were explained."

"Can we see it?" Will asked.

"Sure, follow me." Elyon said as she walked towards the doors.

The group quickly followed, Caleb and Cornelia walking on Elyon's right while Will took her left. Angelo and Hay Lin walked behind them, Drake, Aldarn and Taranee behind them and Julian and Raythor taking up the rear. Soon they were in the Royal Library of Meridian and Drake briefly disappeared between the shelves before returning with a rather big, in green leather bound, book. In golden letters the words: 'The Mystical Universe' was written on the cover as well as the rim of the book with underneath the writers 'Makad and Arissen'.

"Fancy book." Irma said.

Drake handed the book to Elyon, who carefully placed it on a table. Everyone went to stand around it and it was Taranee who was the first to place her hands on the book. Everyone watched how she furrowed her brow as her fingers went over the title and the writers, mumbling something, before opening the book. The smell of old paper came from the book and a small smile came on Taranee's lips. Elyon found Will smiling a bit as well as the girl glanced at the Fire Guardian before scowling and averting her eyes. Elyon might not have been there when the fight started, but she could easily see that the two were having a hard time arguing.

"Wow."

Taranee's sigh of amazement caused Elyon to look at her and the book. She grinned as she remembered the first time she looked in it. The first page was illustrated with five creatures. A phoenix and a thunderbird flying next to each other, with underneath them a Pegasus and centaur galloping while a leviathan swam in the river which ran alongside it. Taranee turned the page, finding a large index page. Elyon could see Banshees, Vampires, Kraken and Strix. Taranee's finger went in an amazing speed through the index, before it halted briefly. Elyon only managed to catch a glimpse of the word 'Werewolf' before Taranee whispered "Page 148". With that Taranee started to skim through the pages with a speed that marvelled Elyon. She didn't even stop when the page of the Harpies came by, which was illustrated with a beautiful, hand-drawn picture of the creature. Elyon knew this because she'd been distracted by the multiple pictures and numerous creatures in the book, yet Taranee didn't waver from her goal. Within a few seconds she found the right page, revealing a marvellous drawing of multiple humanoid wolves, each having a different colour or form. One even had a streak over its back in a different colour.

"Werewolves." Angelo read out loud, looking as interested as the rest at the handwritten, black words.

"These images are beautiful." Hay Lin breathed amazed as she softly touched the picture.

A new silence fell as the group started to read it in silence. The passage was long handwritten and held a lot of things the group hadn't known before.  
It read:

_Introduction:_

_Werewolves originate from Earth. There is a story about how they came into existence, but we promised the elders to not tell about it and a vow under the Full Moon is as dangerous to break as a vow on the Heart of Kandrakar. But that will not stop us from telling about this strange race of human shapeshifters._

_Characteristics when human:_

_Werewolves are, when in human form, terribly difficult to distinguish from the regular populace. They have increased hearing, along with increased taste. Their reflexes are stunning and their strength is also greater than you would expect, but the werewolves are trained in hiding these features. The only way to recognize a werewolf would be to get him or her angry. Not just angry, but furious. Only then you might see their eye colour change, but that could also be the last thing you do so it's not recommended._

_Once transformed, werewolves lose their minds. There is speck of humanity left in them and they are guided by their instincts, which is unfortunately to hunt humans. The reason why is also described in their origin lore._

_Transformed:_

This does not mean that werewolves are monsters. There are werewolves who's mind can become human again. Though this happened only once in their recorded history, by the spell wolf Fenrir. It is said the werewolf would gain powers unknown.  
Luckily this is not the only way to encounter a transformed werewolf with a human mind. There is a potion that can keep their minds human, though at a small price. Their strength won't be at its full potential when transformed and some end up believing they never transformed, causing a lot of commotion in the city they live.

_Characteristics when transformed:_

Werewolves, when by their right mind, are pretty cool to hang around. Their sense of smell and their hearing exceeds that of an Air Guardian, which says a lot and they pretty much lost all the boundaries set by humans. They tease and break into personal bubbles. They have fun. Wild fun.

_Family:_

_What's important in the life of a werewolf is its clan, or family. Their last name indicates their clan and can demand respect of others if your born in the right one. The alpha of the clan is the most respected and he (or she) only respects the elders. When there is another werewolf who believes can be the new alpha, a fight starts. Sometimes it ends till one of them is dead while on other times the losing werewolf is left alive. Though usually it goes to a trial of inheritance, where the first born of the alpha becomes the new one of his or her clan. The only thing they have to do is to prove themselves through the trial of the chosen, which differs from clan to clan. There is one with a race, while another forces the young wolf to fight its relatives._

_Clan system:_

As mentioned earlier, the clan has only one alpha. He (or she) is the leader and the one who makes the most important decisions. In ancient times, the werewolf alpha was also the only one allowed to sleep with non werewolves, but that law is outdated in this time. Next to the alpha, there is the beta. The beta is usually the (prime) mate of the alpha, though this can also be the second strongest of the clan. The beta keeps the alpha a bit under control and deals with the problems that aren't urgent enough for the alpha to handle. After them, the clan's ranks are based on the strength of the werewolves. The stronger you are, the higher your rank in the clan. Spell wolves and runts make an exception in this rule, seeing as spell wolves tend to become the next alpha or beta by default and runts tend to be killed after their first moon.  
Respect is shown to those higher in rank than you and you're allowed to challenge anyone above you. And those who are respected throughout the ranks are the elders. Elders are werewolves who are wise and usually old. They seem to hold a wisdom once transformed that would surprise many. The werewolves believe the moon gives them this wisdom, but so far we've not found any other explanation.

_Extra information:_

Do

_never__ question the religion of a werewolf. While human they could be the most religious person you know, but when transformed they tend to see the moon as their God. If you mention anything about it, they usually get very protective and angry. In extreme cases they might actually attack.  
In other words, to stay peaceful with the werewolves, steer clear from the subject religion._

_Pacts:_

Further there are pacts. These are usually hunting groups of werewolves of different clans, though they usually end up being a tight group of friends when human. The rules of respect and ranking, which is handled within clans, is also applied to the pacts. It's rather unusual for a werewolf to start a pact with regular humans, but not unheard of. Ask yours truly.

_Enemies:_

_Enemies of the werewolf would be the Rogues and the Hunters. Rogues are werewolves who've either forsaken their clan or who've been banned from their clan. They are bend on eating, hunting or turning humans, which they believe is their true path.  
Hunters, on the other hand, are humans trained to kill werewolves. It's true they do it to protect mankind, it's something that is becoming a bit outdated now that the werewolf clans are trying to avoid turning or attacking humans at all._

The page ended, leaving the group to stare blankly at the page. Taranee and Angelo looked with a frown at the book, while the others either wore a look of surprise or confusion.

"That's it?" Irma asked a bit annoyed. "What is this? What's a runt? Or a spell wolf?"

"There is an error." Taranee muttered, pointing at a particular place in the text.

"Since when are you an expert in werewolves?" Will remarked annoyed, causing the two to engage a glare wars.

"I didn't say that." Taranee hissed back. "There is an error in the spelling. It's supposed to be you're, not your."

With that she pointed at the beginning of the 'Family' passage. Causing everyone to look at the passage again. Will blushed and turned her head while Taranee grinned cockily. Instead Will reached for the book, swatting Taranee's fingers away as she did, and turned the page in an attempt to find more explanation. And indeed, more explanation came on the next two pages. Each page had a small passage, with a drawing underneath.

The page on the left spoke about Spell wolves while the right page discussed Runts. Both passages weren't that big, which left enough space for the two images. Underneath the Spell wolf passage a werewolf was drawn with fire spiralling around its claws.

"Spell wolves." Will read out loud. "Little is known about spell wolves. They are werewolves with the access to magic. We know they'd been persecuted before Fenrir lead the spell wolves against the normal werewolves. Now they are honoured because they usually end up being stronger than regular werewolves because their magic can enhance them. They are worthy opponents. We suspect they were born with magic, which was either distributed by the Heart of Earth or because they are a descendant of a Guardian. From older records we know that Guardians, who've been turned, cannot use their magic when transformed in their wolfish form. Why is not known."

With that Will and Angelo looked at each other, finding the explanation they'd wondered about. Their eyes went back to the book, Will looking at the image while Angelo turned his attention to the other page.

"Runts." He read out loud. "They are the shame of the werewolves. Their human blood is stronger than usual, causing their transformation to fail. Usual runts don't survive their first full moon, after it is proven they cannot fully transform. Runts are emotionally unstable and therefore extremely dangerous to both human and werewolf kind. They can transform at day, but their transformation only consists of hair grow, lengthening of the hands to claws, change of eye colour and growing of teeth. Their strength is bigger than that of an untransformed werewolf, but they are extremely weak when compared to a transformed one.  
Because of their unstable emotions, the chances of them losing themselves to their anger and transforming in broad daylight make them too dangerous to be alive and are usually killed, or hidden away from the human world."

The image underneath it showed that the painter had no real idea of how a runt looked like, as a few vague question marks were drawn around the creature. The creature did indeed look human, but the excessive hair grow and the wolfish scowl on its human face made you doubt. It didn't look that menacing, but if they had to believe the book, these runts were as dangerous as a werewolf.

"So, this was the book Cassidy and you spoke off?" Cornelia asked once everyone managed to get their gaze from the book.

Elyon nodded.  
"Yeah. She said she wanted to read it one more time." Elyon said.

"I took her to the library." Drake said. "She asked me to leave her alone for a few minutes as she went through the book."

"Let me guess, after that she disappeared." Matt said.

At this everyone nodded grimly, before the gazes returned to the book. It was too bad it couldn't speak, or they would have known what Cassidy had found.

"So this book must hold a clue." Will said impatiently. "The girl can't just disappear in thin air."

Hay Lin was now busy with the book, while the others were busy thinking of a way to figure out what Cassidy must have read to disappear. Hay Lin admired the way the colours and lines were drafted on the page, forgetting the problem at hand. These images were beautiful and she wished she could paint like that. She wondered if the painter of these images was still alive. Maybe she could find him and ask for lessons. She took the page about the runts and turned it, revealing a new topic about cat creatures. Again she marvelled at the craftsmanship before she decided to turn the page. She was halfway the action when she realized something. She started to wave the page, before taking the page where the runts were explained and waving that one with her other hand. Slowly she moved her fingers over both pages, testing the material.

"What are you doing Hay?" Irma said, pulling Hay Lin out of her thoughts.

Everyone now looked at the young Air Guardian, who was holding two pages of the book between her fingers. Hay Lin looked a bit confused before her gaze went back to the book.

"The pages." Hay Lin muttered. "The pages aren't right."

Taranee was quick to take the pages out of Hay Lin's hands, softly rubbing the pages between her thumbs and index fingers.

"She's right!" Taranee exclaimed, letting the page of the cat creatures go and focussing on the page of the runts. "This one's thicker!"

"And of a different material." Hay Lin added as she grinned.

Everyone watched how Taranee slowly started to fiddle with the page but nothing seemed to be happening.

"Move." Will ordered shortly, causing Taranee to jump away before glaring at her.

Will ignored the glare and summoned the Heart from her chest, letting it shine above the strange page. A short pulse of pink light washed over the book, dissolving the glamour that surrounded that page. Now the page that explained about cat creatures had disappeared and a blank page took its place. Will slowly peeled it off, showing that the page about cat-creatures was underneath it, and held it up, for everyone to see.

"Wow! Good job Hay-Hay!" Irma cheered, patting Hay Lin on the back.

"I didn't know it was there." Elyon said surprised, looking at Raythor.

"Me neither, my Lady." Raythor replied, looking as interested at the new paper as the rest.

"What does it say?" Angelo asked.

Taranee grabbed the page from Will's hands, who know growled at her. She took a closer look and found that it was written in a different colour ink. This time it was red, but the handwriting was the same as that of the rest of the book. On it were only six lines, written in the middle of the page.

"_A man or a beast,  
None is lesser, none is least.  
Surrounded by the bane,  
Hidden, yet seen from the plain.  
Once a month, just one chance,  
The tone of the Luna will entrance."_

Taranee no longer spoke, but the words she'd just pronounced seemed to have a weight that was still noticeable in the air. Everyone looked at each other, knowing that these words meant a lot, though no one seemed to know what.

"My guesses are that Cassidy found this." Matt finally said, breaking the silence.

"But what does it mean?" Taranee asked pained. "It talks about a bane and the moon. But what bane?"

"The moon's not up for a long time either." Drake added.

"The only clue we have is a plain." Will said, turning to the Meridianites. "How many plains are there?"

"Just two. The East Hoogan and West Hoogan fields." Aldarn replied, getting a groan from Elyon.

"Please! Don't mention those again!" Elyon whined. "Every summer that guy returns and complains that the pass between the two plains lead to the mating of the birds of West and East, causing the breed to be polluted. There is no difference between those freaking birds!"

This got several snickers from the group as Elyon hung her head.

"So there is a path between them?" Will asked.

"Yeah, we made a portal there when we attacked the castle, remember?" Caleb replied.

"Remember when we jumped into that valley and landed on those Hoogans?" Aldarn said with a grin, getting a grin and a high-five from Caleb.

"You did what?" Cornelia asked, looking terror-stricken.

"That doesn't matter." Will cut off, getting a glare from Cornelia. "We now know that there are two plains, connected with a valley."

"The quickest way to find Cassidy is to split up." Caleb said, getting a nod from Will while seeing how Cornelia mouthed 'This is far from over' to him, causing Caleb to shrink a bit.

"Yes. I'll take Angelo, Irma, Raythor with me to West Hoogan plain. Caleb, you take Hay Lin, Cornelia, Blunk, Matt and the Fire Guardian with you to East." Will said. "Aldarn, you stay with Elyon in case Cassidy makes a miraculous reappearance. If we find something we'll contact with telepathy."

"Isn't it better if you take another Guardian with you?" Caleb argued, noting that Will evaded using Taranee's name. "Or someone extra?"

"I'll go!" Drake said, stepping forward.

Will nodded.

"Okay, Drake's with me as well." She said. "Elyon, you stay here with Aldarn in case Cassidy finds her way home or you get some other news."

"Will, why are you giving me most of the magic users?" Caleb argued again.

Will seemed to think about it before shrugging.

"It's just a hunch." She said, before signalling the rest to get into action.

Caleb didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer and wanted to argue some more when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked to find Taranee looking at him.

"Don't." She said softly. "Just…Trust her on this."

Caleb saw that Taranee was more troubled with this than he was, but he nodded and signalled his own group to go as well.  
Unbeknownst to the two was that Will had heard it. She glanced over her shoulder, looking suspiciously at Taranee. Why would Taranee say something like that? She hadn't shown trust before. Was she perhaps admitting she had wronged?  
A feeling of euphoria went through Will, but she decided to ignore it. It could very well be that Taranee was just thinking about finding Cassidy.

The groups stopped in front of the palace gates. Will turned to the group.

"Everyone knows the plan? Find Cassidy and notify the others if you encounter trouble." She asked, getting mumblings of agreement. "Questions?"

"Just one."

Everyone turned their attention to Elyon, who looked interested at Angelo.

"Not to sound rude, but why is he here?"

Angelo looked surprised and he could feel himself blushing as Will sighed at the background while Cornelia, Taranee and Matt grinned wolfishly.

"I…" He tried, but the words didn't form in his mind.

"He asked if he could come." Hay Lin piped up. "Will didn't want him, but the others didn't mind."

"Besides, I can fight." Angelo said with a grin. "Though it would be nice to have a sword and perhaps a shield."

Elyon grinned at him before snapping with her fingers. A standard sword and a shield with the symbol of Meridian appeared out of nowhere. She caught them out of the air and handed them to Angelo.

"Be careful with them, okay?" She said.

"Thanks!" Angelo said, weighing the sword before sheathing it.

"Everyone ready?" Will asked, getting nods from everyone. "Let's head out!"

With that she jumped into the air, causing Angelo to frown in concern. She was pretty much giving herself away. Once she was high enough her wings started to bat and she hang in the air, looking beneath her at the group. Angelo was surprised when he heard a few snicker.

"Hey show-off!" Irma yelled to Will. "We're with too many wingless people!"

"Well then, let them run!" Will yelled back with a grin, before zipping off towards the west.

Irma grinned at the guys, who all frowned at Will. She playfully pushed them away before hovering above them. Raythor and Drake took up the pace, but Angelo remained with Irma. Taranee's group took off to the East, but no one had seen a figure riding on a wolf-like creature in the same direction as Taranee's group.

"Is that normal?" Angelo whispered unsure at Irma, who laughed.

"Yeah, though normally Hay Lin joins her." Irma said with a grin. "At one time, she even got all of us to agree to not carry Caleb. Only when he jumped off the cliff we had to cross would he be carried and believe me when I tell you that Hay Lin waited for the last possible moment to catch him."

Angelo looked positively scared about that as he could imagine that happening but quickly shook his head.

"I meant the jumping." He said, though he was still a bit disturbed.

Irma shrugged and waved it away.  
"That would be her primary power." She told him.

"Primary power?" Angelo questioned. "Isn't that Quintessence?"

Irma shook her head, before interrupting herself and looking pensively.  
"I don't know…. I guess… Maybe. But she didn't have it in our first year as Guardian. The only thing she could do was pull a catapult on her own and topple bookcases, you know. The usual super strength stuff." Irma replied. "We're guessing it's her secondary power…Or primary power with Quintessence as secondary. And the talking appliances are a side-effect of her Quintessence."

"Oh." Was all Angelo could answer.

Silently he wondered if it hadn't been Will's werewolf nature that showed itself through her use of super human strength, but he was glad everyone thought of it as normal. It would have been awkward if she had to explain it.  
They ran for a bit when they found Will leaning against the tree. Drake and Raythor were taking a breather and Irma grinned at Will, who grinned in return. She caught him looking and her grin became a bit wolfish. Angelo refrained himself from panting and looked challengingly at her, causing her to give him a toothy grin before turning to Irma.

"Let's walk the rest."

**...**

"I admit that I was stupid."

"Shut it!"

Cassidy glared at her captor, an average human male with shaggy brown hair. His beard was messy and his clothes consisted out of rags. The other people around him were similarly dressed, both men and women. They all showed their wolfish eyes, which gave Cassidy the feeling as if she was walking in the wolf pit at the zoo, except for the fact that these were humans with rusty weapons instead of the dog like animals.

A sigh escaped Cassidy as she tried to wriggle against her bindings. She was tied to a tree with a lot of force, probably bruising her as she hung a bit helplessly. She shouldn't have run to figure out if her suspicions were correct. Now she got captured because she was right. The werewolves were looking for _that_ cave, maybe they'd found it already but couldn't enter it. Whatever the reason was didn't matter, what mattered was that the rogues were aiming to become more powerful and dangerous. She had to warn the Guardians, Will and Angelo in particular. If they could tell it to their alphas, they could be in time to stop the Rogues from whatever they were planning.

"Can't we just kill her? She's been noisy from the moment we caught her?" A female asked, glaring at her dangerously.

Cassidy knew that looking back was a challenge, but she wasn't planning to give any respect to her captors, so she stared challengingly back. The woman growled darkly and walked to her, only to be stopped by the same male who'd snapped at her.

"No! You know what Cailean said. Every magical human will be turned." He snapped at the woman, who turned her head to the ground.

Cassidy could see that these people were avoiding human society as they were more acting like they would when transformed. She raised her eyebrow and looked at the one she presumed was alpha of the group.

"Cailean?" She asked interested, seeing that it was a name she'd never heard of.

The man turned around at her, his eyes looking menacingly. Though Cassidy's primary objective was to be as defiant as possible, she realized that, if she wanted the necessary information, she had to pay respect to at least one of them. So she turned her eyes down, hoping he would accept her question. She noticed the man was doubting, apparently surprised by her behaviour. She heard him growl and sniff, as if he was trying to figure if she wasn't a werewolf already. Once he was satisfied he grumbled a bit more.

"Cailean is our, and will be your, head alpha." The man finally explained. "He's chosen by the moon to lead us against the clans."

Cassidy did not show it, but she was positively scared of the news. When she'd been a Guardian, it was a problem Halinor pointed out to the alphas at the time. They all ignored her and some even threatened her to stay out of their business. Joe's father had told them that the chances of Rogues banding together would be rather small, as the grudges between clans also lived within the Rogues. But apparently someone is assembling them and Cassidy had the nasty feeling a new werewolf war would break out if they weren't stopped in advance. The last one had been bloody and she truly hoped that this one would be avoided.

"Uhm, and he's assembling Rogues?" She asked carefully.

The man grunted pleased. He seemed to like to be the most knowledgeable and grinned at his fellow werewolves before turning to her.

"I like a soon-be-turned who wants to learn about her new fate." He grunted in approval. "Our great Alpha is not just assembling those forsaken by their clans…"

'Or those who left because they wanted to.' Cassidy added in her mind.

"But he's also searching for spell wolves or magical people." The man finished.

"Like me." Cassidy figured, seeing the man nod.

She didn't have to get more explanation to know that this guy was building an army. Spell wolves were usually rare, seeing that the magic distributed by the Heart of Earth tried to avoid boosting werewolves, but there were those who were Guardian Descendants and held powers even if they didn't know they did. If those were bitten, there would be more spell wolves. Powerful ones at it. This was truly becoming a big problem but Cassidy could not see a way out. The only thing she could do was to pray that she could get away and be thankful that she wasn't captured by the smartest of the pack, or else she wouldn't have gotten the information.

"Aatrox, aren't we supposed to be hunting?" The female from before asked.

Cassidy watched how the man rolled with his eyes and turned around. The pack, which consisted out of fifteen people, all looked hungrily and she could hear him snarl.

"Fine. Group two and three will go hunting. Group one, you'll stay here and guard our newest addition." He growled, signalling four werewolves to follow him.

"You can also release me?" Cassidy tried. "I'll stay here, I promise."

Aatrox looked back, a dark gleam in his green eyes.  
"Sorry girly, but you can never be too safe." He barked before disappearing into the darkness of the forest.

The woman gave her one snarl before disappearing with another group, leaving a total of five werewolves to hang around and guard her. Cassidy felt a bit desperate, seeing no way to get out, when she noticed a sharp stone on the floor next to her. If she could reach it, she could perhaps cut free! With some struggling she tried to get her shoes off, something that caught the attention of the werewolves once her right one fell to the ground.

"What are you doing?" One growled darkly at her.

"I quickly get sweaty feet." Cassidy lied, smiling sweetly. "I just wanted to air them."

The look of disgust passed the faces of the werewolves, apparently afraid to smell her (not) reeking feet.

"You'll keep the other on your foot." The werewolf growled before turning his face.

Cassidy noticed that all of them turned away from her, which she figured was to avoid smelling her feet. She smiled at her luck and tried to reach for the stone with her foot, only to kick it out of reach. She cursed under her breath, but when one of the werewolves glanced in her direction, she acted as if the stench (which was not there) was horrible, causing the werewolf to turn his gaze again. A deep sigh escaped her as he shoulders sagged.

"So far from getting out." She muttered.

"Perhaps you could use the help?"

Cassidy's eyes widened and she gasped as she turned her head, looking at the one who'd whispered those few words.

**…**

"Do you think we'll find Cassidy?"

Caleb looked up, seeing that Cornelia was asking the question to both him and Taranee. He looked at the Fire Guardian, who flew next to him. Taranee frowned and seemed to be thinking, while looking how Matt complained about carrying Blunk, who seemed to enjoy himself. A sigh escaped her lips and she looked at him. Caleb could see that Taranee was doubting Will's judgement, what only confused him. Hadn't it been her who'd told him to listen to Will and trust her?

"Well, there are only two plains, right?" Taranee tried, speaking her thoughts out loud. "From those plains we could look further."

"For what?" Hay Lin chirped, easily hearing the conversation even if she had been flying higher than the rest.

"Uhm… Silver maybe?" Matt tried as he too closed into the group. "I mean, isn't silver the bane of werewolves?"

"That wouldn't make any sense." Caleb argued. "Why would werewolves search for something that can kill them with ease?"

"Maybe it was something the werewolves could use and someone tried to scare them away by placing silver around it, so they can't get to it?" Cornelia tried.

No one answered, as no one held any answers. Taranee sighed softly and looked ahead, still seeing nothing but forests in front of her. Why was it that, when they had a mission as Guardians, they always had so little information? Though this time they even had lesser information than before. With Phobos, Caleb could give them any piece of missing information and when they had to fight Nerissa, they had Yan Lin to turn to. But now they had no one, except for that book. Which was something that mystified her as well. It had given them nothing more than a basic lore, albeit with some extra information on other forms of the werewolf. Yet it hadn't spoken about its weaknesses, while Taranee was sure she'd seen a small part about weaknesses of Harpies when she'd passed that part of the book. Though the writers had said they were acquainted with werewolves. That was something that caught her annoyance as well, the authors. She was fairly sure there was only one author, seeing as the writing had been the same, which meant that the other one had to be the artist who'd drawn the pictures. But that wasn't what irked Taranee. It were the names. They held something that was prickling her mind, urging her to remember something.

"We're here… So where are the big bad wolves?" She heard Hay Lin say, shaking her from her thoughts.

Taranee looked up, finding that they were now hovering above the East Hoogan field. A herd of the birds were grazing peacefully and the group decided to land as to rest their wings as well as for Cornelia to get some rest from carrying Caleb. Now that they were looking at each other, with Blunk scurrying away into the distance while muttering something about Sturky root, they realized they were pretty clueless.

"What did Cassidy read in that stupid rhyme?" Cornelia grunted annoyed as she kicked an earth mound.

"Something she understood." Matt replied, looking around.

"I'll check the sky!" Hay Lin said, zooming back into the sky and looking as far as she could.

The others merely looked around, though they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Caleb sighed annoyed, something Cornelia echoed as she went to sit down.

"What's with this mission anyways?" She complained. "We've got little to no information about where we're supposed to look."

Hay Lin zipped down and landed next to Irma.

"I only see green, nothing big in particular." She sighed. "Are you sure there aren't any more hints?"

"What more hints?" Taranee said, already getting heated. "The chapter on werewolves was pretty much useless. It said nothing about their weaknesses. Nothing about that rhyme. How are we so sure that rhyme was the last thing Cassidy saw? Oh yes, because Will said it. Why am I even thinking like this? We should have done something like…. Like…. Cornelia!"

Cornelia looked up, surprised as well as a bit fearful. Taranee had raged a lot in the past when it came to Will, usually ending with the same conclusion that she'd been right. So for her to end with something else than that was a bit scaring, especially as your name was being said.

"What? I swear I didn't even voice my opinion about the plan!" She defended, taking a step away from Taranee.

The Fire Guardian shook her head, beaming now and scaring Irma and Hay Lin in the process. Caleb merely raised an eyebrow while Matt uncrossed his arms.

"You can use Greenspeak, right?" Taranee said, seeing how Cornelia's eyes lit up.

"Yeah!" She said, catching on and groaning as well. "Oh! Why didn't we think of this first! Would have cost us a lot of trouble!"

"It's your power, you should've known." Hay Lin muttered at her, causing the Earth Guardian to glare in return.

"Well sorry that I was being worried about Cassidy." She retorted.

"And not thinking about yourself? Well, that's a first." Hay Lin quipped back, causing Cornelia's hands to glow a little green.

"Stop it, you two." Matt said, standing in between the two girls. "We're here to find Cassidy, not bludgeon each other. Now Cornelia, if you please?"

Cornelia scoffed at Hay Lin, who replied by sticking out her tongue at the blonde. Taranee raised an eyebrow at Hay Lin, not used to her behaviour, but Hay Lin grinned playfully and winked at her. Cornelia then crouched, placing a hand on the ground. Her whole body started to be covered with a green glow and her hair floated softly in the air. A gasp escaped her lips and she opened her eyes, looking at something behind Caleb.

"What? What did you see?" Caleb asked, already looking behind him.

The others turned as well, seeing someone running over the hill. As they took a better look, they could see it were two people, or to be more precise, a Passling and a human. Blunk and Cassidy came running towards them, with Blunk having a terrified look on his face. The group decided to meet them halfway, where Cassidy caught her breath and Blunk hugged Caleb's leg.

"RUN!" He cried out, trying to get Caleb to run while the young man tried to shake the smelly creature of his leg.

"Cassidy!" Taranee said surprised. "Where have you been?"

Cassidy gave them a big smile, blowing some strands of her hair out of her face.

"Oh, you know. Hanging around, making some friends -"

In the distance a howl rang out, reaching far over the plain. The howl was clearly human, though they could hear some beast like sound in it. The Hoogans started to move out, running scared and squawking like their lives depended on it. Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Matt and Caleb looked clearly alarmed and all gave Cassidy a questioning glare. Cassidy smiled sheepishly at them while Blunk cried out.

"Well… Friends is a broad term." She added sheepishly.

_**[A/N] Of course. Count on Cassidy to make your average day rather busy. But I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. I thought it was time to answer a few things, though there are still many more questions to be answered. And yes, I know. Oh no, a new plot hole. Don't worry, that one will be fixed next chapter.**_

_**As for a review I received and for other curious readers. No, I'm not going to use vampires. I hate those creatures and never really caught my interest, so the mentioning of them during this chapter was the most you'll see of them.**_

_**Other then that I hope you enjoyed the trivia and other things that happened in this chapter and I hope you keep an eye out for the next chapter. **_

_**Stay tuned, review and see you next month!  
(P.s. I'm sorry for the lack of updates to the request stories, but real life has been a bit heavy on me. I'll try to update them before the next update of this story, but no promises.)**_


	12. Chapter 12 Dog fight

**Chapter 12 Dog fight**

"So, you're magical from birth."

Will frowned a bit as she walked besides Angelo. They'd split up. Irma was with Raythor and Drake checking the west side of the plain while Will and Angelo would go to the east, where the path to East Hoogan field was. They'd split up to look and as well as to get some privacy. Will shrugged a bit and avoided Angelo's gaze.

"I guess so." She replied.

"Do you think you've got your magic from the Heart of Earth or that you're a Guardians' Descendant?" Angelo continued.

"I don't know. I've never met my grandparents, remember?" Will said, nudging Angelo.

Angelo nodded and looked pensively at the path. He remembered that Cassidy had come to Will's house with some news, but they'd never heard what it was.

"Hey, I remember Cassidy saying that you should visit Yan Lin." He said. "Maybe she knows more?"

Will looked incredulously at him and Angelo realized he'd forgot to mention it to her. He gave her an awkward grin which she replied with an annoyed growl.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Will asked him. "That would have cleared up a lot things and we wouldn't have had that fight last moon."

Angelo held his hands up.

"I'm sorry, but seeing as I was busy trying to get you and Taranee back together, it kind of slipped my mind!" He argued.

"Why does everyone think it's necessary to meddle with my life?" Will returned with a scowl. "I'm perfectly fine the way things go."

"Yeah, and while you're perfectly fine, I wake up at nights while being washed over with feelings of loneliness, regret and pain. Great to sleep with those feelings!" Angelo roared in return.

The two were now facing each other, with Angelo looking a bit up at Will due to their new height difference. Both scowled at each other and teeth were bared. Will had gone red after what Angelo had said out of embarrassment and crackled a bit with lightning. Angelo returned the gesture by cracking his knuckles.

"Complaints, Angel-not?" Will growled at him.

"Depends on how you look at it, Red Pest." Angelo growled in return.

"Will! Angelo!"

The two looked up, Will's magic dying down, and they found Irma, Raythor and Drake running up to them. They caught their breath once they arrived and Irma gave Will an alarming gaze.

"Why didn't you respond?" She asked. "I got worried!"

Will looked confused at Irma.

"Respond? To what?" She asked.

Irma gave her an annoyed look and tapped Will's forehead.

"Hello? Someone home? Metamoor for Will, someone there?" She asked before Will swatted her away in annoyance.

"Irma."

"I've been trying to contact you telepathically!" Irma replied annoyed. "Taranee sent an alarm about five minutes ago, but you hadn't answered!"

Will's eyes widened and she looked at Angelo in alarm, who replied with the same look. From then Will's look became serious.

"Guys, take out your weapons and Irma, get ready. We're going to teletransport."

**...**

"Okay, Will's hunch was correct." Caleb muttered to himself as he dodged a fist.

The man he was fighting had brown shaggy hair and was dressed in rags and had some blood on his lips. His eye colour had switched from human brown to wolfish yellow and his canines were pretty intimidating for a human. Luckily his weapon was rusty and he didn't seem to be skilled in using it. The down side was that the man was impossibly strong and quick and if it hadn't been for Cornelia's back-up, he'd probably been in a lot more trouble.

He slashed at the man again, who clumsily blocked the attack. The man became a bit unbalanced and Caleb saw his chance, slashing at him. But to his surprise the man grabbed his sword with the other hand, stopping the attack. Blood seeped down Caleb's sword, but the man didn't seem to be bothered. In fact, the man barked a laugh before his hand started to glow green. Caleb's eyes widened in surprise as he saw how the hand healed on its own. Caleb pulled his sword free and took a step backwards.

"You...You used magic." He said surprised.

The man grinned and pointed his glowing hand at Caleb.

"Want to feel it, whelp?" He growled.

"HEY AATROX!"

The man turned around, only to get hit by an ice ball. Caleb followed the trajectory of the attack and found Cassidy panting like crazy and wobbling a bit. He rushed to her to support her, to which she flashed him a grateful grin.

"Thanks." She said. "Reminder. Using magic is tiresome."

The man she'd blasted, Aatrox, grunted in pain and looked up, finding it had been Cassidy who'd hit him. A grin spread on his face as he pointed his weapon at her.

"I love it when the pray fights back! You will be my mate!"

It was obvious by the look of disgust on Cassidy's face that she thought differently, but being too weak to move away quick enough, she had to rely on Caleb to pull her to safety when Aatrox attacked them.

Caleb glanced quickly around, seeing how the others were locked in their own battles. Matt seemed to have problems with hitting the three werewolves he was facing, but due to his wings he managed to avoid the attacks against him. Cornelia and Taranee had five werewolves against them, of which all of them were quite speedy. Caleb sighed in relief when Cornelia managed to avoid an attack of one of them. Blunk was running around, screaming for his life. The werewolves didn't seem to be so eager to attack him, as they scrunched their noses whenever he passed. Hay Lin made use of it, by running invisibly past them and knocking the remaining six into the others, having them blame each other.

"CALEB!"

Cassidy's yell made him look up and he found that Aatrox had closed the distance between them quicker than he'd anticipated. Caleb raised his sword, but the force Aatrox used to slash down on him was too much. His sword was forced out of his hands and he was forced on his knees. Cassidy stood in front of him and he could see she tried to use her powers again.

"Not on my watch!" She groaned as new drops of water wrapped around her hands.

Aatrox smiled at her and pushed her away with ease. Cassidy tried to get up, but her arms shook too much.

"Not now, my love." Aatrox said lovingly to her before he glared at Caleb. "I've got some hunting to do first."

He raised his sword and Caleb weighed his options. His legs still felt heavy and he knew he couldn't stop that sword with his bare hands. He just had to try and dodge it.  
He looked up and saw the sword coming down, but his arms refused to listen. His legs weren't functioning like he wanted them to. Panic engulfed him for a short moment and he looked at Cornelia, who had just turned around. Her eyes were big and she paled, but all he could do was smile sadly at her before closing his eyes and preparing for the sword to hit him.

**...**

They couldn't have arrived at a better moment than when they did. The first thing Will saw was a guy standing over Caleb and trying to cleave his head into two. Angelo was luckily quick enough to intercept the attack. Irma proceeded to aid Cornelia and Taranee while Raythor joined Matt. Drake rushed to Cassidy, trying to help her to stand. Will, herself, was planning to aid Matt as well, when an angered growl caught her attention. A woman, her dirty blond hair clearly in knots and her clothes being nothing more than rags and brandishing a sword, while she forgot about her troubles with the invisible force that had been annoying her, and came running at Cassidy and Drake. Drake hadn't noticed her as he was too concerned about Cassidy.

**...**

Nidalee saw her chance. The girl had been quipping the entire time since they'd caught her and above that, she was gaining too much of Aatrox' attention. Now she'd even dared to attack him! It didn't matter if she was magical. No one attacks her alpha and gets away with it.  
She raised her sword, ready to strike down both the girl and the human boy that had come to her aid. What she hadn't counted on was the appearance of a fairy blocking her path. Because she'd rushed at the two, she couldn't halt and tumbled right into the fairy. The two fell on the ground and Nidalee looked down, a familiar scent wafting past her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the fairy, who had red hair and glared up at her. For a second Nidalee saw the eye colour of the fairy change, confirming her suspicions.

"A Clanner." She growled as she raised her fist to hit the fairy in her face.

The fairy merely growled in return before lightning suddenly threw Nidalee off the fairy. Nidalee flew a bit back and landed heavily on the ground. As she crawled up, she saw how the fairy fussed about her first targets. But she was no longer interested in them. A Clanner was a much more important quarry than a magical human.

"Rogues, to me!" She yelled, though only a few could answer her call without leaving their pack members in some serious trouble.

Though it didn't matter. Three extra were more than enough to take the Clanner down.

"Get her." She growled as she rushed at the fairy, the others in her wake.

**...**

Hay Lin noticed how several werewolves suddenly ran to the aid of the female werewolf, who was now fighting Will. She frowned as she dissolved her invisibility and stopped two of the remaining five. They were planning to get past her, but Hay Lin wasn't giving them a chance by blowing them back. She heard a few growls from the werewolves and she was sure she heard the word again. 'Clanner'. She'd heard the woman, who was fighting Will, say it before calling aid and now the two remaining werewolves used the same term. What did it mean?

She couldn't think too much of it as she had to focus on yet another attack to avoid.

**...**

This was troublesome and Will knew it. She was now fighting four untransformed werewolves, together with Drake while not only trying to protect Cassidy but also try to keep her own secret hidden. And with all due respect to Drake, but she needed someone with more power. Magical power.  
The woman, who'd tried to attack Cassidy at first, was now in a deadlock with Will, who was trying to prevent herself from growling and barking like her opponent did. Will sparked again with lightning, in an attempt to throw the woman off of her, when two other werewolves started to throw fireballs at her. Will had to break the deadlock and jump away to avoid being hit by the attacks. Meanwhile Drake was trying to keep the fourth away with his sword, but he was too slow. Will checked the battleground quickly and nodded to herself.

"Drake!" She yelled, gaining the boy's attention. "I need you to switch with a Guardian. Go to where Cornelia is and switch out with one of them."

Drake gave her a look before glancing in concern at Cassidy. Will rolled with her eyes. Cassidy was already getting herself to safety, something Drake should realize.

"But Cas..." He tried.

"I'm fine!" Cassidy yelled in return, yelping as one of the werewolves snapped at her.

Will shot a bolt of lightning at the man, causing him to yelp in pain and surprise. Cassidy yelled a thank you to her and hurried to a safer place, while Will looked at Drake, who was still contemplating.

"Drake!"

Drake already started running, causing the werewolf who'd been previously engaged with him, to focus on Will as well. Will decided that the best course of action was to fly up, avoiding the attacks and the jumps of the werewolves down below. It was then that she realized that Taranee was where she'd sent Drake to.

"Drake! Don't switch out with..." Will tried to yell after him, only to get caught by the woman.

The woman grabbed her from behind, keeping her arms spread while Will descended with considerable speed. Below she could see the two fire spell wolves preparing another attack. They unleashed their fire balls, but the attacks never hit their mark. Taranee had come and knocked the attack aside before returning the favour. Will covered herself in lightning, causing the woman to let go of her in pain.

"Taranee." Will said stiffly, acknowledging the Fire Guardian.

"Will." Taranee replied equally stiff.

The two looked at each other, apparently not really knowing what to say. Taranee seemed to be willing to make an attempt when a growl was heard. The fourth werewolf jumped at them and the two dodged. The other three had returned as well and started to attack the two girls once more, though this time the werewolves couldn't jump one without getting attacked by the other.

"Where have you been, anyway?" Taranee yelled at Will while shooting fire at the woman who'd been leading the other three. "I contacted you and I got no reply, but I thought you'd heard me!"

"I didn't, okay!" Will growled in return, preventing a werewolf to jump Taranee by delivering him a kick in the face. "My mind was busy with other things!"

"What could possibly be more important than helping us?"

"Why don't you read my mind and find out?"

Taranee groaned in annoyance as she rubbed her temples. Will kept glaring at her. Taranee had to do more than chase away an enemy to get her acceptance and Will was about to make sure the girl would know it. From the corner of her eye she saw a werewolf attempting a new attack. She dove down and intercepted the jump of the werewolf, which was once again the annoying female, and the two ended up in a new deadlock. Will was silently glad she was in her Guardian form, because she knew well that if she'd encountered the woman untransformed, she wouldn't have been a match. But now she just had to take this woman down. Light flashed past her and Will realized that Taranee was redirecting the fireballs the werewolves were throwing at her.

"Good thing these guys are not experienced." She heard Taranee mutter while catching a fireball.

With that Taranee enlarged the fireball and returned it to the two untransformed spell wolves. They tried to dodge the redirected attack, but Taranee made it explode, catching the two off guard and blowing them away. One of them landed on the last unoccupied werewolf, knocking him down as well. Will could see Taranee grinning cockily at her, before her eyes widened for something Will couldn't see. Will wanted to turn her head, but knew that if she did, the woman would use the chance to knock her down.

"Angelo!"

Will turned her head with a start when Taranee yelled out, forgetting about the woman she was struggling against. Instead she saw two werewolves in the process of throwing an uprooted tree at Angelo. Will felt the woman applying more strength, forcing her to stay put. Will watched in horror how the tree was launched at Angelo.

**...**

Caleb grimaced as he tried to get up. When Aatrox had forced him down, he'd sprained his ankle. But he shouldn't complain. He could have been dead if Angelo hadn't jumped in. Caleb watched in surprise how the Earth boy fought with Aatrox with an amazing skill level. He was nothing short to Caleb, though he noticed that Angelo's strength seemed to be on a higher level than his. He wondered why the boy was this skilled in fighting and what sort of training he'd had to stand up against the grown-up, untransformed werewolf.

It was obvious Aatrox still had the upper hand when it came to strength, but Angelo was a lot more nimble and agile than Aatrox and had no problem with dodging the attacks.  
Caleb had also noticed that, ever since Angelo had appeared in front of Aatrox, the man had become more violent. His face was contorted in a sort of rage Caleb did not fully understand and it seemed that he was truly focussed on killing Angelo. Angelo's face had darkened as well as he continued his fight with Aatrox and Caleb thought he'd seen him bare his teeth at the werewolf for a second.

Knowing that Angelo couldn't hold the man off on his own, Caleb struggled to get up. He looked around, finding that Taranee and Will were fighting together against four opponents, Hay Lin was still occupying two werewolves and Cornelia, Drake, Irma, Matt and Raythor held off six more. Caleb nodded with a grin when he saw that the last group was already winning when suddenly a thought struck him. There'd been fifteen werewolves, but he'd only counted thirteen. Where were the last two?  
He scanned the area, when his eyes suddenly widened. He found the remaining two werewolves, who both seemed to be in their late teens, ripping a young tree out of the ground. He was silently stunned by the strength these...these beasts held. Though he was quickly out of the stun when he realized they were planning to throw the tree at...

"Angelo!"

Caleb, who was now on his feet and ready to limp to Angelo's aid, when Taranee yelled out. He watched as she rushed at him and burnt through the tree. Caleb raised an eyebrow as he watched. He'd thought Taranee didn't like Angelo, or that was what he thought after watching the two in one room. But then again, not liking someone and wanting someone to die were two completely different things. Caleb guessed that Taranee knew as much and went to save him.  
He hobbled somewhat, ignoring his sprained ankle as he went, when suddenly a shoulder was pushed underneath his arm. He looked aside and found Cassidy grinning at him. She looked a little roughed up, but other than that just fine.

"Come on." She said. "I could use protection and Cornelia would kill me if I left you to go into the fray with that ankle of yours."

Caleb grinned a bit at the end, but it was obvious that he did not like Cassidy's suggestion. He should be out there, helping and not standing at the sidelines, watching and waiting.

"Come on."

Cassidy pulled him along and he couldn't use his full strength to struggle against. A sigh escaped him and he followed Cassidy, while keeping an eye on the battlefield.

**...**

Angelo turned his head when he heard the sound of cracking wood. He found Taranee flying behind him, while burning a large tree with fire. Two untransformed werewolves were looking in surprise before Taranee sent some fire to the two of them, causing them to let go of their weapons, which were molten by the fire.

"Thanks!" He yelled at her, before proceeding to block an attack from Aatrox.

"It's only fair after you've helped me." Taranee replied, dodging one of the now annoyed werewolves and firing a stream of fire at him, causing him to take some distance from Taranee.

The other shot at Taranee, but Angelo, who'd managed to push Aatrox a bit back, intercepted the guy before he would hit Taranee. Taranee sent him a smirk, when they heard some sizzling. The two turned around to find that the first werewolf was dousing the fire Taranee had created with water, which he made with his hands.

"More spell wolves?" Angelo questioned shocked.

He couldn't believe there were so many. He'd thought himself lucky for knowing two, but in this pack alone he'd counted four spell wolves and he wasn't even sure how many Irma's team was fighting.

"I thought these were considered rare?" Taranee muttered as she relit the fire.

It was obvious to Angelo that the werewolves' magic wasn't as strong as that of the Guardians, but he knew from past experiences that when they would transform, their magical power would increase as well.

"This is bad." Angelo muttered in response.

"Indeed it is, you little mutt!"

Angelo and Taranee turned around and looked in shock at Aatrox, whose hands were now glowing green. A snarl was formed on his lips and he glared darkly at Angelo, who immediately reassumed his fighting pose.

"You've been annoying for long enough. Let me guide you to your grave!" He snarled, stomping the ground beneath him.

A small fissure erupted, which headed straight for Angelo. However before Angelo could react, Taranee had already pulled him into the air for safety. Aatrox didn't seem to be surprised and just snarled again before jumping after them. Taranee yelped in surprise when she faced Aatrox in mid air, but Angelo freed himself from her grip and pushed her out of harms way before falling to the ground. He knew that, the moment he would land his secret would probably be out, but he'd underestimated Taranee's speed in the air, for she managed to catch him before he landed. Aatrox landed heavily and turned around, seeing how Taranee placed Angelo on the ground.

"Never do that again!" Taranee scolded Angelo angrily. "I nearly got a heart attack when you did that! Do you want to die?"

Angelo gave her an apologetic grin, not exactly knowing what to say in return. Taranee just huffed and rolled her eyes while muttering something about men, while Angelo just smirked and looked at Aatrox. He was probably even more annoyed than before and sent Taranee a glare before focussing his attention back on Angelo. Angelo raised an eyebrow when Aatrox crouched and touched the ground. What was he planning? The answer came soon enough when Aatrox was suddenly covered in earth, creating an armour. His right hand shifted into a make-shift sword and he grinned maniacally at Angelo.

"I'd like to see you hurt me now, pup." He growled before advancing on Angelo.

He was still as quick as ever and Angelo barely managed to block the attack, but not without being pushed back. Taranee responded by firing a large amount of fireballs at him, but the armour blocked all of them. Aatrox turned around with a growl and Taranee could only see how his left hand shifted into a hammer before feeling said hammer in her stomach. All air was hit right out of her and darkness clouded her vision as Taranee flew back and landed heavily on the ground.

"Taranee!" Angelo yelled in concern.

He wanted to run at her, checking up on her, but he found vines wrapped around his ankles. At first he thought Cornelia's attack missed horribly, but then he found Aatrox smirking while looking from him to Taranee and back.

"Your little girlfriend has been annoying me." Aatrox grinned. "But we can fix that."

Angelo, who silently noted how wrong Aatrox was in calling Taranee his girlfriend, paled when he saw that Aatrox glowed a little green before a large rock, which was left from the fissure he'd made before, and heaved it towards Taranee's laying form.

"Stop!" Angelo yelled as he used all his strength to break the vines, only for more to tie him up.

"Don't worry." Aatrox said. "You'll be next."

"Taranee!" Angelo yelled, desperately hoping to wake her up.

**...**

"Taranee!"

Taranee groggily shook her head, finding that she was laying on the ground. Vaguely she remembered that she was hit by a hammer and as she did, she felt the pain once again. She gently touched her belly, knowing a bruise was already coming up. She probably broke several ribs as well. She then realized that Angelo had been calling her name. She wanted to search for him, but her vision was still blurry. Though she did realize that something was blocking the light of the sun. Slowly she looked up, finding a big boulder hanging right above her. Panic engulfed her and she tried to struggle up, only to find that she'd truly broken several ribs and the pain was too much for her to move. Fear started to overflow and Taranee was sure she was a goner. Aatrox laughed darkly while Taranee tried her wings. She nearly managed to get from the ground when Aatrox' voice reached her.

"Goodbye, Guardian."

Out of reflex, Taranee covered her face with her arms while closing her eyes as she awaited the heavy rock to hit her. She desperately hoped for Cornelia to save her in the last minute, or anyone else for that matter, when suddenly a force pushed her away. She heard the heavy thud and a loud cry of pain, but she was safe.

She carefully opened her eyes and removed her arms to see who her saviour was and was shocked to see Will. Not because it had been Will who saved her. In fact, secretly she was very glad it had been her friend. No, she was shocked that instead of destroying the rock, Will had pushed Taranee out of the way. But Will had been too slow and had ended up halfway underneath the rock. A trickle of blood ran past her lips and she looked with heavy, but concerned eyes at Taranee. Taranee managed to push herself up, ignoring the pain due to the concern she felt for Will.

"Will!" She said shocked. "Why..."

"Why did you save Angelo?"

Taranee looked stupefied at Will, who held the look though it was obvious she was straining herself. Taranee, sensing things were going bad with Will, shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I...I couldn't let him get killed." She answered with a wavering smile. Tears started to fall from her cheeks as she suddenly realized how her behaviour of the past month had been.

She crawled to Will and took her hand while looking at her friend's eyes. Will really seemed to be having trouble with staying conscious, but she was trying the best she could.

"I'm sorry for what I've done, how I've been acting." Taranee whispered. "I was stupid, but I just... It felt like I was losing you... And... Well, I should've known I wasn't."

"You saved him...To get even?" Will managed to say.

"No... I thought you deserved him more as a best friend than me, after how I've been treating you." Taranee whispered shamefully, a tear running past her cheek.

Will smiled at Taranee and Taranee felt how Will's hand touched her cheek. She saw how Will was straining herself to do just that, catching the last tear. Will's smile didn't waver and as her hand fell, which Taranee caught.

"I'm...Sorry... Too..." Will wheezed out, obviously struggling against unconsciousness. "I...Was...Too...Hard..."

"No, Will. I..." Taranee tried.

"You're...Truly... One... Of...My...Best friends." Will said, interrupting Taranee before finally losing her grip on reality and falling unconscious.

**...**

Angelo had watched the spectacle. He had been shocked at Will's rash action. Why hadn't she destroyed the rock? While Aatrox laughed at Will's predicament, Angelo slashed himself free from the vines. He wanted to give Aatrox a piece of his mind and with that, he meant a good ass-whooping, when Angelo stopped and listened to Taranee's and Will's conversation. He found Aatrox watching with interest and as Angelo listened, he was surprised. He hadn't realized his talk with Taranee would have had such an impact. He watched how Taranee slowly placed Will's hand on the ground before slowly getting up, something Angelo found hard to believe seeing as she couldn't get up before. He could see a very ugly bruise on her stomach and he was sure Taranee had a few cracked ribs, when she slowly turned her head from Will and looked at Aatrox. Well, glared at Aatrox. A shiver went over Angelo's spine, seeing as he'd never seen Taranee look so dark and menacing. Suddenly fire started to blaze all around Taranee, her hair being one of the first things that caught fire before her body followed. Only one thought remained with Angelo as he watched Taranee almost literally explode.

If he survived this, he would never, ever anger Taranee again. Ever.

_**[A/N] Well, Will and Taranee make up, only for Will to fall unconscious and Taranee to explode in anger. This will not make werewolves look positive in Taranee's eyes, or in the eyes of the others. About the others, how are they holding up? What happened to that Nidalee? And will Aatrox survive this ordeal?  
All questions considering this chapter will be answered next moon! Until then.**_

_**Review!**_


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